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Degree

, Cleveland State University, Levin College of Urban Affairs, 2008.

Abstract

Elected officials have traditionally used political appointments as a way of rewarding loyal citizens for their support. This practice began during the late 1820’s when Andrew Jackson was elected President. In his effort to “reform” government, he used what has come to be known as the “spoils system.” Today, political appointees are faced with a plethora of issues on a daily basis ranging from how to handle the concerns of a particular constituency to whether their tenure, as an appointee, will last until the end of their expected term. The appointee faces the challenges of performing their job according to the mission and goals of the organization while, at the same time, satisfying all stakeholders and maintaining certain ethical standards. The purpose of this study is fourfold: 1) to explore how much political influence is placed on political appointees in municipal government, 2) to explore the types of tensions and pressures placed on political appointees and how they are experienced in practice, 3) to explore the ways that these tensions influence how decisions are made as well as the results of those decisions, and 4) to assess why these issues are important in the field of Public Administration. Phenomenological methodology was used to conduct this study. The study is of the municipal governments of Detroit, Michigan, Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago, Illinois, and Baltimore, Maryland. These cities were chosen because of the comparables in size, demographics, and government structure. Interviews were conducted with former political appointees with the data analyzed to identify patterns and themes that emerge to develop a theory.

Keywords

Public Administration; Urban Studies; Government Administration; Political Science

Advisor

Camilla Stivers

Pages

104p.

Document number: csu1199384965
Permalink: http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=csu1199384965

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