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METROPOLITAN POLITICS ______LECTURE 1 - 1/19/16

Syllabus - Office hours Dept of Govt Tuesday / Weds 1:30pm - 3pm - Class presentation (Group 6 - Intergovernmental Relations April 24th w/ Hamad, Victoria, William, and Jinal) *must get book pre-approved by Prof Taylor for 3 points (out of 7 for presentation) - Book report - minimum of 6 sources other than the primary source you’re using. No page limit - Quiz dates - Feb 2nd TH, Feb 20th Mon, March 6th Mon, March 27th Mon, April 13th TH, April 24th Mon - Book Review due April 13th Local govt - City and county - In some states, the county is more influential and politically active than the city govt, but in other states the counties are just geographical units of division like in New hampshire Suburbs - After WW2 housing was made easier because of the GI bill. Many people served in the military and people were able to get loans with very low interest rates. In the 50s there were more railways and roadways. Blacks were allowed to buy homes in the suburbs, but they would have if they were able. ______

LECTURE 1/23/16

Municipality - State establishes requirements for incorporation - Charters outline the structure of a city's government - Each state has complete authority of their municipal corporations - Rule: Dillon's Rule gives states complete authority over municipalities - - Municipality is having a disagreement with the state over who has more power in a particular instance, the state always win. State is the parent, Municipality is the child. - School districts are subjected to Dillon’s rule - for instance in 2011 some Republicans outlawed public employees right to strike. Those who strike must pay a fine unless they’re pardoned (Taylor’s law in NY state) 2 of 37

● Does this seem inconsistent with the US constitution / the framers intent? - the framers said nothing about municipal government, but we were intended to be a federation of states not a federation of municipalities.

Types of Charter - Special Act Charters - not one size fits all - General Act Charter - Classified Charter that divides municipalities Powers of States - Power of preemption - bans municipalities from taking charge of income taxes. Most states you have to take a municipal income tax and a state income tax. - Eminent Domain - states can take away land for government use. “Home rule”

● How do Municipalities seek revenue - Regressive taxes (like property taxes). Hurts people equally, but the people with lower incomes get hurt worse (as opposed to progressive taxes where it’s based on income). Nuisance taxes. User Charges (museum or zoo, or using parking spaces. Repressive tax) Progressive taxes like Impact developer fees. ○ Taxpayers can limit municipalities abilities to raise revenues. (in it’s called TRIM which limits how much taxes municipalities are allowed to charge) Structure of Municipal Govt - Weak mayors - (in big cities) Strong mayor - chief of executive branch. - Commission Govt - Began in 1900 texas. After commission is elected at large, they decide who is responsible for what. They divide among themselves who’s going to run each department. Ceremonial mayor, just a figurehead. - Council-manager government - began in , council is elected as legislators and they high a council city manager. Hire someone who’s a professional to manage the city. - Chief Administrative officer - Provides mayor with technical necessities to assist the mayor (because mayors aren’t always hired for their competency) Women in local govt - 20 of the largest 100 cities in the US have a female mayor - Largest city with a female mayor is Ivy Taylor in San Antonio Texas - In San Antonio one person runs at large (the mayor) but all the mayor does is vote. The mayor doesn’t run the city. - Until recently, the largest city with a female mayor was Huston. Annis Parker - first female mayor in Houston, also first openly gay. - Female managers are more likely to use to tools of cooperation. Minority Mayors - Most of minority mayors were involved in the civil rights movement - Once voting rights act was passed they were able to use that to get elected 3 of 37

- Newer mayors used a “deracialized approach” which are “post racial” black mayors who focus more on economic development. (on the national level like Obama, on the State level there is Cory Booker etc.) Early Political History - The first europeans to settle in Boston were English Protestants (Yankees) - Irishmen weren’t considered white because of their culture and religion - Political representation was to be determined at property and income and often was influenced by religion (because irishmen were poorer than the yankees due to discrimination of their religion and culture) - Anti-catholicism of Colonial Boston - Law banning catholic priests -“Popes Nite” celebrated every Nov 5th - In 1779 the Mass constitution allowed religious freedom - In 1790 the first catholic priest came to Boston - Boston in the 1820s, Irish began emigrating to Boston. They had skills that were appropriate for an urban area. - In 1822 Boston was incorporated as a city - Mayor - 8 Alderman - 48-member common council - Ethnic Politics in early 19th century Boston - Andrew Jackson's (Democratic Party) in 1828 was able to get their support. He was elected popularly. He was popular because there was a claim that he was half irish (he was presbyterian) - Anti-Irish in 1825 that were inspired by protestant church groups. They said the - catholics were sent to take over the united states by the pope. - Attack on covent (protestants burned down convent) - Broad Street of 1837 (described by the press as a race riot) in this age there was no police department, there were volunteer militias. As cities developed more they started developing professional police forces. - In 1843 there was political activism by the Irish - In 1844 (second party system the Democrats vs the Whigs) - Whig party blames Clay’s 1844 defeat on the Irish ______LECTURE 3 1/26/16

Irish Immigration - 1840s flood of immigrants from ireland - They came to ireland because it was a straight shot across the atlantic 4 of 37

- Boston was already 200 years old - Emigrants to Boston fared worse than those who went to new and developing cities, because there wasn’t much to do in terms of work During this same decade Democrats were able to make inroads in - Whig party was split (because of slavery) - Cotton Whigs - titans of textile industry, who depended on cotton from the south (made by slaves) though slavery shouldn’t be brought into the public debate as an issue - Conscience Whigs - anti-slavery - In Mass they were replaced by the “Know-nothing” Party came to prominence around this time. In order to belong to this party, you had to be apart of a secret order called the Star Spangled Banner - when asked about it, they denied all membership and said “I know nothing” - In these days there were no primaries so you were elected by party leadership (people apart of this secret order) - 1854 election the know-nothings - Laws passed by the Know-Nothing Legislature - Dissolved Irish Militia (because they didn’t like the Irish having guns) but this wasn’t seen as unconstitutional because they didn’t have the 14th amendment saying the laws of the federal govt applied to the states. So unless the states had their own constitution that said the bill of rights applied to their state, it didn’t. - Required the King James version of the bible to be read in schools - In order to vote, you had to be a citizen of the united states for 21 years (did not pass) - Established a “Nunnery Committee” to investigate convents because they couldn't understand why people devoted their lives to the church in the catholic community. - Catholics weren’t let into the poor house - Ironically they were really supportive of women's rights, and desegregated schools in Mass (possibly felt less threatened because African Americans were protestant, native born, and not as populous in Mass so it was easier for them to be sympathetic) - New Republican Party ran - Were not an anti-slavery party, but didn’t want slavery to extend into the territories - They took all Know-Nothing party support (after 1866 they disappeared) - The Whig and Know-Nothing party ran one last time and co-nominated the same person - Millard Fillmore (also the last Whig president) - Slavery Issue and Ethnic Politics in Mass - Little support for Abolition of slavery in Irish community - Church refuses to oppose slavery - Irish believed the slaves lived better off than people in Ireland (but this was obviously false because the irish had the freedom to leave ireland whereas slaves couldn't) - Dred Scott decision declared that slaves could be sold in states where slavery is illegal because slaves were property, but this in essence made slavery legal in any state.