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I . . . j I I . ‘ . n I . o I .' , . u a 0 .II I n n i U - ‘ : o. . v 1 I‘ - V . u . . o ' I . r n ' ' i a. r ‘I. . . . ‘I I . .. . . I ‘u o ' I. . ;. ' ‘ . . . . o L _ I‘v . .-¢‘s‘. 1“"‘ ' -I-’ "; This is to certify that the thesis entitled THE ROLE OF THE FOURTH CLASS MICHIGAN CITY CLERK IN MUNICIPAL DECISION-MAKING presented by Walter Dale De Vries has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for MA Political Science degree in Zip/10x6 Chm/1 MM Major drofcssorj Date AugUSt 5! 1955 r! THE ROLE OF THE FCInTI CLASS IICHIGAE CITY CLERK y. IN MUNICIPAL DECISION-LAKING by Walter Dale De Vries A THESIS Submitted to the College of Business and Public Service of Kichigan State University of Agriculture and Applied Science in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of EASTER OF ARTS Department of Political Science 1955 r 5-. Eff. } C' CHAPTER I. II. III. ‘. ' 73 I Ll‘l‘n THE A. B. C. D. E. TABLE OF CONTENTS ODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Clarification of the Terms Used in the Study. Limitations of the Conceptual Framework . . . Statement of the Problem . . . . . . . . . . Research Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . PA:TICIPATION-EVALUATION SCALE . . . . . . . The DevelOpment of the Scale . . . . . . . . The Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Method of Scoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . limitations of the Scale . . . . . . . . . . smlary O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O 0 g: C) :24 5?, 5. PARTICIPATION AND HE SOCIC-POLITICAL OF A. B. C. E. THE<3LERK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Statistical Test for Determining Relation- ships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Testing of the Social Background Variables. . Testing of the Political Background Variables SUITlIIlar' y o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o 16 17 19 25 25 26 27 55 54 55 55 56 57 46 49 CHAPTER PAGE IV. PARTICIPATION AID THE PERSONALITY OF THE CLERK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 A. Development of the PAR Test . . . . . . . . 51 B. Kethod of Scoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 C. Analysis of the Data . . . . . . . . . . . 55 D. Limitations of the PAR Test . . . . . . . . 58 PL Smmmry .... . .. . . . .. . . .. . . . 59 V. PARTICIPATION AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS . . . . . 61 A. Participation and Population Size . . . . . 61 B. Participation and Type of City . . . . . . 65 C. Stumz’iary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 VI. SULLARY AID CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 A. Proposals for Further Research . . . . . . 71 BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 APPEEIDIX O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O I 75 TABLE I. II. III. VI. VII. IX. LIST OF TABLES Typical Table Used in Computing Participation Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary Table with Total Distribution of Par- ticipation Scores . . . . . . . . . . . . . Distribution of Participation Scores and Par- ticipation Continuum . . . . . . . . . . . . The Relationship Between Sex and Participa- tion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Relationship Between Participation and Age . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Relationship Between Participation and Number of Years Residence in Community . . . The Relationship Between Participation and Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Relationship Between Participation and Number of Community Organizational Affilia- tions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The distribution of Clerks According to Former Occupation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Relationship Between Participation and Length of Time in Office . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 28 5O 58 40 41 42 45 45 47 TABLES PAGE XI. The Relationship Between Participation and Full or Part-Time Employment as City Clerk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 49 XII. The Distribution and Personality Trait Scores of the Clerks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 XIII. The Distribution and Personality Trait Scores of the Clerks According to Participation Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 XIV. The Relationship Between Participation and Population Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 XV. The Relationship Between Participation and Tbrpe Of City 0 0 O O O O O 0 O O O O O O O O 64 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The writer is indebted to a score of people who helped and encouraged him in the undertaking of this project. I am especially grateful to Dr. Edward W. Weidner, Chairman, De- partment of Political Science, for the time and effort ex- pended in the supervision of the research design; and to Dr. Leroy C. Ferguson, who became my thesis adviser in the absence of Dr. Weidner. I also wish to thank the Governmental Research Bureau of Michigan State University for providing the funds neces- sary to travel to many different cities in Michigan to do field research. Without these funds, and the active support and encouragement of Dr. Ferguson, Director of the Govern- mental Research Bureau, the significance of this research project would have been seriously impaired. To Dr. Nathan Hakman, who assisted in the preparation of the research design, the construction of the research tools, and the writing of the thesis; to Dr. Herbert McCloskey of the University of Minnesota for his cogent criticisms and suggestions which were incorporated in the research design, and to Dr. Charles R. Hoffer for his assistance in the prepa- ration of this thesis; I am very grateful. The writer also wishes to acknowledge his appreciation to hr. George R. Sidwell, attorney at law, who suggested several changes in the research design and cleared up sev- eral problems concerning the legal classification of Fourth Class cities; and to Helenan Sonnenburg, a graduate assist- ant, who labored many hours attempting to enlighten the writer concerning statistical procedures. To the twenty-three city clerks, about half of whom I had the good fortune to meet, I am deeply grateful. They took time out of their busy lives to answer a series of ques- tionnaires which at times must have seemed quite burdensome. I also wish to thank the many mayors and councilman, whom I shall probably never meet, for cooperatively completing ques- tionnaires. Finally, the writer wishes to express his gratitude to his wife, Lois Cook De Vries, without whose patience, under- standing, and support this work would not have been completed. CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION This research project arose from the conviction that in this area of municipal government there is an important field of inquiry in which little work has been done. Very little is known about the city clerk, who he is, what he supposes to be the nature of his job, and just how he does fit into the decision-making process. Several agencies have published articles on city clerks, but no effort has been directed to discovering the behavior of the city clerk with- in the governmental process. Most of the material which has been published has been concerned with the duty assignments, functions, volume of work, salaries, and tenure of city clerks in the United States and Canada.1 An examination of the literature, including state and local government textbooks, revealed that no attempt had been made to ascertain whether or not the city clerk participates 1See, for example: Role of the Municipal Clerk in the United States and Canada. A Report Prepared by the National Institute of Municipal Clerks (Chicago: 1952), 15 pp. Also, Salaries, Appointment, and Tenure of Municipal Clerks in the United States and Canada, A report prepared b the National Institute of Municipal Clerks (Chicago: 1952 , 21pp. Also, "Survey Shows Sharp Increase in.Clerk's Work Since 1951," Connecticut Government, Vol. 8, No. 1, January, 1955. 2 in decisions made by the city council in the clerk's commu- nity. The reason for the lack of research is, of course, self-evident. Without exception, the city clerk in all of the communities in the United States has but one primary function-~that of recording secretary. The city clerk is not granted a voice in council decisions, although he may be called upon to give advice and assistance when the council asks for it. Therefore, it would seem at first glance that the city clerk, or for that matter any other city official to whom the policy-making function is not granted, does not participate in council decisions because this is not one of their formal functions or duties. Any participation, on the part of the city clerk, in council decisions would then be extra-legal. Exploratory interviews revealed that some city clerks do participate in the decisions made by the city council.2 The extent of this participation is conditioned and deter- mined by many variables. The writer has attempted to meas- ure some of these variables and their effect upon participa- tion, for example, type of municipal government, socio- political background of the clerk, personality characteris- tics of the clerk, and demographic factors. 2Exploratory interviews were conducted with the city clerks of East Lansing, Michigan, and Holland, Michigan. 5 A. Clarification of the Terms Used in the Study The role of the city clerk in decision-makipg refers to the degree or extent to which he participates in the deci- sions made by the city council in the clerk's municipality. The measurement of his participation was accomplished by a participation-evaluation scale, which will be further de- scribed in.Chapter II of this thesis. Before proceeding on to the definition of a 4th Class Michigan City clerk, some space must be given to a clearer definition of the words "city clerk." How many city clerks are there in the United States? Even such a seemingly simple question is not easy to answer. Without becoming rigid about the definition of the words "city clerk," the writer includes Borough Clerks, Town Clerks, Village Clerks, and (where appropriate) Township Clerks, as well as City Secretaries, Borough Secretaries, and even Clerks of Council, as coming under the classification of "city clerk."3 The writer also assumes that there is a clerk for every municipal government, however, small, and many will have a clerk if they have no other administrative official. In many small communities the clerk's job is only part-time. In many cases the clerk's office is combined SThis information was taken from a letter to the writer from.John R. Kerstetter, Associate Director, American Munic- ipal Association, April 29, 1955. with some other. The clerk-treasurer combination is the most common, but there are many others. Sometimes the iden- tity of the clerk's job seems to "wash out" in the combina- tion. In small city-manager municipalities the city-manager often assumes the responsibilities of the city clerk, and frequently those of many other offices. Be is probably then Clerk, ex officio. Generally, the National Institute of Mu- nicipal Clerks takes the position that there is a clerk for every governing body, and, of course, a governing body for every municipality. It was discovered in the exploratory interviews with the city clerks of East Lansing, Michigan, and Holland, Mich- igan (both cities operate under a city-manager form of govern- ment), that the citybmanager takes over many of the advisory functions that the clerk had performed under the former council-manager system.of government in these cities. Ac- cording to the city clerk of Holland, Michigan, who has worked under both a mayor-council and a city-manager form of government, he had been allowed to participate in council decision-making prior to the inauguration of the city- manager type of government. Upon adoption of the city- manager plan, the Holland clerk was relegated to a position of virtual non-participation in council decisions, the city- manager assuming What had formerly been the clerk's position. In view of this, the writer suggests that a similar type of situation might exist in all or most of those cities with city-manager forms of government. It was then decided to limit the total universe of this study to mayor-council forms of government. The 1955 edition of the Municipal Year Book shows the following distribution of 2,527 cities in the United States above 5,000 population: mayor-council 1,515 (52.0%), com- mission 556 (14.1%), council-manager 764 (50.5%), town meet- ing 64 (2.5%), and representative town.meeting 28 (1.1%). There are no figures available as to the distribution of the municipalities below 5,000 population. It would seem safe to assume that at least 50% of the cities below 5,000 population, as is the case with cities above 5,000, Operate under mayor- council forms of government. Therefore, the total universe in this study could include at least 50% of the cities in the United States. Within the State of Michigan there are some 491 munici- palities; 196 incorporated cities and 295 incorporated vil- lages.4 These cities are legally classified as follows: Fourth Class City 21 (4.5%), General Law Village 255 (51.9%), Home Rule City 155 (31.5%), Home Rule Village 40 (8.1%). Special Charter City 5 (1.0%), and Special Charter Fourth 4Directory of Michigan Municipal Officials, Information Bulletin Number 1 (revised) (Ann Arbor: Michigan Municipal League, 1955), p. 11. Class City (a city incorporated by Special legislative act adopting by reference most of the provisions of the Fourth Class City Act) 15 (5.1%).5 The Fourth Class Cities of Michigan were selected for this study because of two factors: first, all of these cities are incorporated directly under the Fourth Class Cities Act and as such have identical charters, i.e., the charter of these 20 cities ig the Fourth Class Cities Act; and, secondly, the universe of 20 cities was small enough to enable the writer to cover them within a short period of time. The selection of only Fourth Class Cities to be used in this study had another advantage. Here was a "controlled situation," that is, the type of government and the charter under which the municipality operates is identical for each of the cities in the study. The Fourth Class Cities Act defines cities of the Fourth Class as: (19) 81.1 Fourth Class Cities. Section 1. That all cities within the state of Michigan heretofore incorpo- rated and made subject to the provisions of this act or which shallhereafter be incorporated under the provis- ions of this act, and containing a population not exceed- ing 10,000 according to the last preceding federal or state census, shall be cities of the fourth class. (20) 81.1a Definitions. Sec. la. As used in this act: The phrase of "having a populationfl,or any phrase or combi- nation of words of like import, shall be construed to mean 5Directory of Michigan Funicipal_gfficials, Loc. cit. "now or hereafter having a population of". The words "last", "latestfi "preceding", or "last preceding" used in connection with a "federal" or "United States" or other census, or any words, phrases or combinations of words of like import, shall be construed to also include any such census taken after the enactment of the statute. (21) 81.2 Incorporation. Sec. 2. Any incorporated village containing a population of not less than 5,000 nor more than 10,000 as shown by the last preceding fed- eral or state census may be incorporated as a city of the fourth class, as hereinafter provided. According to information supplied by the Michigan Munic- ipal League,7 there are 21 Fourth Class cities in Michigan. However, the writer discovered while interviewing in Besse- mer, Michigan, that this city had changed its classification during the past two years and is now a Special Fourth Class city. The elimination of Bessemer, Michigan, brought the total number of Fourth.Classl cities down to 20. Each of these 20 cities was assigned a fictitious name in order to protect the anonymity of the city officials taking part in this study. 6Laws Relating to the General Powers of Cities, State of MiChigan. Compiled under the supervision of F. M. Alger, Jr., Secretary of State, and Harold E. Bradshaw, Deputy Sec- retary of State, Revision of 1950. (Lansing: Franklin DeKlelne COO, 1950) p. 110 7From a letter to the writer from Alan.C. Davis, Staff Associate, Michigan Municipal League, February 1, 1955. 8 The Fourth Class cities of Michigan eligible to partic- ipate in this study are as follows: Fictitious city names County Population Lock City Charlevoix 3,028 Haven.City Eaton 6,606 Morris Midland 1,204 Millwood Shiawassee 2,358 Deerville Cass 6,542 Resortville Iosco 2,040 Gobleville Gladwin 1,878 Central City (pre-test) Montcalm. 6,668 Harring Houghton 5,223 Baytown Clare 884 Forville Lenawee 2,773 Hilltown Missaukee 719 Pleasant Island Mackinac 572 Lakeland Berrien 13,145 Coastville Osceola 2,241 Clark City St. Clair 4,098 Sand City Mackinac 2,946 Port City Van Buren 5,629 Newton Montcalm. 1,123 Summerton Iosco 1,441 These cities range in population size from 572 to 13,145, with over half of the cities falling below the 3,000 population mark. This would appear to be inconsistent with the definition of a Fourth Class city as Specified in the Fourth Class Cities Act. However, in a series of acts passed by the state legislature between 1905 and 1907, the cities below 3,000 population were incorporated in these special acts. The city of Lakeland with a population of 13,145 was incorporated under the Fourth Class Cities Act prior to the its population had grown to over 10,000. There is no qualification.within the Fourth Class Cities Act which makes it mandatory for a city exceeding 10,000 population to change its legal classification to something other than Fourth Class if it does not wish to do so. Decision-making has been defined several ways. H. D. Lasswell8 states: A decision is a policy involving severe sanctions(depri- vations) . Since a decision is an effective de- ‘termination of policy, it involves the total process of bringing about a specified course of action. Paul A. Miller suggests that those who make the deci- sions are the decision-makers, or the actors in the decision- making process.9 The decision-maker must possess certain capacities of "rightfulness."10 The two major sources of capacities of "rightful" decision-making. are a authority and influence: Authority consists of the rights and privileges given certain roles and positions within the community. For example, in every formally constituted group there are offices which give the incumbents special privileges in the making of decisions.11 Miller further states that authority is derived from the constellation of positions possessed by the decision- maker. The total position of the decision-maker is not only 8A3 quoted by Paul A. Miller in "A Comparative Analysis of the Decision-Making Process in.Community Organization Toward Major Health Goals" (Unpublished Ph. D. thesis, Michi- gan State College, 1953), p. 21. 9Ibid., p. 27. lOLoc. cit. llLoc. cit. 10 derived from the offices he holds in formally constituted groups, but is also based on other positional elements.12 These other positional elements contribute to the total po- sition of the decision-maker: Whether or not he is an old or new resident of the com- munity may determine the rights and privileges on the basis of family position. Being a member of a high pres- tige kinship group in the community is related to the former, . . . finally, his socioeconomic status may con- tribute similarly.13 From these positional elements and offices, the decision- maker receives the rights to participate in the decision- making process. Miller defines influence as "the possession of attri- butes by the decision-maker which are valued as relevant by the community-at-large."l4 These attributes (social proper- ty) are said to consist of resources (wealth, respect, mo- rality, success, access, obligation, and time), subject mat- tercompetence, organizational skill, ideological skill, and of personality features of relevance to community organiza- tion and action.15 The degree to which the decision-maker ' possesses or lacks these attributes, and the way in.which 121bid., p. 28. 13Ib1d., p. 29. l4Ibid., p. 50. 15Ib1d., pp. 32-45. 11 the community evaluates these attributes, will determine to what extent the decision-maker has influence. Miller draws the line between authority and influence .in the following way: Authority, as taken here, is constituted within strict associational limits. Thus, it does not depend on so- cial property vested in the person, but on the explicit rights of position or office. Thus, the informal life .Of the community forms an.important investment area for the decision-maker of influence. Authority is a func- tion of the formal associational life of the community, influence is a function of informal interpersonal sys- tems which may operate within former associational struc- tures, but is not bound by constituted community cove- nants. The operational concepts employed by Loomis and .Beeglel'7 in their new book are similar to those used by Miller. In describing the elements of a social system, Loomis and Beegle talk in terms of power. Power, as they use the term, is control over others. The components of power are classified under two major headings, authority and influence: Authority may be defined as the right, as determined by the system to control the actions of others. Implied in this concept of authority is the uncritical acceptance of this right on the part of subordinates and certain immunities from influence on the part of superiors. . . . Influence may be regarded as control over others which is of a non-authoritative nature. Such influence may be based upon human relations, skills, social capital based l6Ibid., p. 31. lVThese concepts are quoted from mimeographed material of a forthcoming book by Charles P. Loomis and J. Allan Beegle, Chapter I. 12 upon such things as past favors, superior knowledge of interrelations of members, certain types of wealth or even outright blackmail. Some aspects of influence in a given social system may be derived from relationships outside of the system. . . . Influence may be related to role performance and many other factors. Decision-making as defined by Loomis and Beegle is "the process whereby alternate courses of action available are reduced."19 Power, then, would be the capacity of the decision-maker to reduce the alternate courses of action available. For the purposes of this thesis, the writer will draw his operational concepts from both Paul A. Miller, and Loomis and Beegle. Decision-making will be defined as the process whereby the number of alternate courses of action available are reduced. The context in which these alternate courses of action are reduced is the city council meetings in the various cities in this project. The reduction of these alternate courses of action are readily ascertainable and available in the form of ordinances, resolutions, and motions passed by the city council. The power (capacities) for decision-making rests upon two components, authority and influence. The former is, of course, the easier of the two to measure. lBIbid., p. 5. 19 Ibid., p. 21. 15 Authority_of the City'Clegk. The authority of the city clerk in the municipalities of the United States is spelled out quite clearly in the charters or state laws under which the municipality is operating. The writer knows of no in- stance where the city clerk has the authority to participate in city council decision-making. This is especially true in the universe that has been selected for study in this re- search project. The authority, i.e., the functions and duties of the office of the Fourth Class city clerk in Michigan, is non- existent as far as active participation by the clerk in the decision-making process within the city council is concerned. The Fourth Class Cities Act of the State of Michigan defines the office of the Fourth Class city clerk very explicitly (see Appendix A). Examination of these powers and duties of the Fourth Class Michigan city clerk by the reader will show that the clerk has no authority assigned to his office to participate in the decisions of the city council. That is, the clerk does not have the "right" to propose the enactment of ordi- nances, resolutions, or motions; or for that matter, to par- ticipate in any way in council decisions. This is, of course, a very rigid interpretation of the Fourth Class Cit- ies Act, but, legally, a correct one. The point the writer is trying to make is that according to the legislative act, 14 under which the cities in the universe being studied are in- corporated, does not give the authority to the city clerk to participate in the decision-making process involving the city council. The office of the city clerk does not give the incumbent the right to participate in the municipal decision- making process. Influence of the clerk. A city council is subjected to many pressures. It must be constantly aware, or be made aware, of the financial, physical, and possibly moral needs of the community which it governs. In all of the cities in this study, the mayor and council meet twice a month, and in every case, are part-time officials. In about half of the cities, the only full-time city officials, excluding service personnel (fire, police, and utilities),are the city clerk . and possibly the city treasurer. The treasurer does not, in ’most'cases, attend the regular council meetings, but renders a detailed report of the financial conditions of the city, at least once a month, to the city clerk.2O The clerk, in turn, keeps the council informed of the municipality's fi- nancial condition. The clerk, then, because of his day-to- ’contact with the problems and routine of the city government, has the potential to develop a much higher degree of intima- cy with these problems than most of the other city officials. However, a high degree of fanfiliarity with city problems and 20A1ger and Bradshaw, pp. cit., p. 27. l5 routine does not necessarily mean that the clerk will be more likely to participate in council decisions. The former does not preclude the latter; and, later on in this thesis, an attempt will be made to find a correlation between par- ticipation and the general knowledge which the clerk has about the governmental process and its problems. Subject matter competence, according to Miller, is one of the attri- butes needed by the decision-maker in order to have influ- ence. An attempt will also be made to measure other relevant attributes (social property) of the city clerk which may ef- fect his participation: certain personality characteristics and his socio-political background. The scope of this inquiry, then, is limited to a study of the influence that a city clerk can exert upon the city council and its decisions. This thesis is only concerned with the decisions made by the city council, which are readi- ly ascertainable and available in the form of ordinances, resolutions, and motions. To summarize, decision-making is defined in this study as the process whereby the city council reduces alternate courses of action available-~the crystallization of these courses of action are found in the enactment of ordinances, resolutions, and motions. Authority for the city clerk to participate in municipal decision-making is non-existent. 16 Therefore, it is only through the exercise of influence that the clerk can participate in decision-making. B. Limitations of the Conceptual Framework The limitations to this approach are implicit. First of all, the writer has only drawn upon certain aspects of influence as defined by Miller, and Loomis and Beegle. No attempt was made to test several variables which may effect influence such as wealth, success, obligation, time, and so forth. Those variables taken from killer, and Loomis and Beegle which were tested are: subject matter competence, personality characteristics, and socio-political background. The latter variables were selected because of the difficulty of obtaining data on the former variables through mailed questionnaires. There is a second limitation to this approach. It would seem to ignore the findings of such studies as the one by Hunter.21 It can be argued, and very effectively, that the city council does not make the important, and possibly even the unimportant, decisions. Might not the council mem- bers be in fact just "tools" or in Hunter's terminology, "substructure" people being controlled and manipulated by a higher elite group? This thesis can neither empirically ZlFloyd Hunter, Community Power Structure (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press, 1953): 17 deny nor affirm these allegations, but proceeds on the as- sumption that the decisions reached by the city councils in the cities studied were, in fact, made by the council mem- bers themselves. The focus here is not on whether the coun- cil members perceived an elite group, outside of the govern- mental structure, as directing the decisions made by the council; but, rather, is concerned with the council members' perceptions as to what extent the city clerk participated in the decision-making process. Although this is an important field of inquiry, no attempt was made in this study to dis- cover decision-making elites outside of the formal govern- mental structure. C. Statement of the Problem This thesis is concerned with two problems: 1. To ascertain whether or not Fourth Class cityflclerks in Michigan do participate in the decisions made by their respective city councils. 2. To determine and isolate the crugialflyariables which make for the differences in the degree of participation,_in municipal decision-making, between city clerks. Three focal hypotheses guided the study. Since each has been developed in some detail throughout the text, they will only be briefly stated here: 18 l. The degree to which a city clerk participates in mu- nicipal decision-making will be related to certain factors in his sociofipplitical background. Such factors as the age, sex, education, length of time in office, number of years residence in the community, number of community organizational affiliations, full or part-time employment, and former occupation, of the city clerk will be related to the extent to which he is allowed to participate in the council's decisions. This hypothesis will be covered in length in Chapter III. 2. The degree to which the city clerk_participates in municipal decision-making will be related to certain_person- ality characteristics of the clerk. Certain personality characteristics of the city clerk will be measured by a PAR (participation-awareness- responsibility) test administered to each of the clerks par- ticipating in this study. The personality test will be dis- cussed in length in Chapter IV of this thesis. 3. The degree to which the city clerk_participates in municipal decisionfmaking will be related to certain demo- ggaphic factors within the community. Chapter V of the thesis is concerned with the relation- ship between participation and two demographic factors: population size of the community, and the type of community, l9 i.e., industrial, tourist, farming, or any combination of these classifications. Finally, Chapter VI will summarize the findings of the study and present some of its conclusions. D. Research Procedure The testing of the above hypotheses has been made pos- sible through the use of data collected from 16 Fourth Class Cities in Michigan. The data were gathered in two ways: through the mail, and personal interviewing by the writer.22 The study was so arranged that it could be conducted entire- ly through the mail, thereby eliminating unnecessary and ex- pensive travel. An explanatory letter (see Appendix B) was sent to each of the Fourth Class city clerks in Michigan. This letter ex- plained in detail the methods and goals of this study, and requested each clerk to submit a list of ordinances, resolu- tions, and motions passed by the city council in that city. This letter was followed two weeks later by a personal follow- up letter to those clerks who had not as yet responded (see Appendix C). 22During the course of the interviewing and data- gathering, the writer travelled 2,000 miles and sent out over 400 pieces of mail. 20 The list of decisions to be submitted was«limited to the time period October 1, 1954 to March 31, 1955. This particular six month time period was selected for several reasons. First, it was discovered in the pre-test (Central City) that the city clerk and the council members experi- enced some difficulty in recalling just what went on in the council meetings more than a half year ago. Secondly, most of these city councils transact more business during the fall and winter months. Finally, because of the election held in April, 1955, there was a possibility that the clerk, whose participation the writer was trying to measure, may have been defeated (or did not choose to run) in this election. By not going beyond the time period of April 1, 1955, it would still be possible to measure the clerk's participation in the prior six months even if he were defeated in the April election. It was pointed out in the introductory letter to the clerks that they only submit relatively important decisions made by the council during this six month period. Procedur- al motions, that is, to adjourn, waive the reading of the minutes, and so forth, were not to be included. At the beginning of this study, there were 21 cities eligible to participate. One (Central City) was used in the pre-test; Harring was dropped because it was impossible to contact the clerk through the mail or personally; Sand City 21 was disqualified because the clerk had been appointed to of- fice in December, 1954, midway between the six month time period to be tested; Bessemer was disqualified because it had changed its legal classification from Fourth Class to Special Fourth Class city; and Pleasant Island was dropped because of the lack of data. Eleven of the twenty city clerks contacted, responded by mail with the requested lists of council decisions: Lakeland, Port City, Forville, Haven City, Deerville, Clark City, Millwood, Gobleville, Coastville, Hilltown, and Resort- ville. The entire study in these cities was conducted through the mail. Because the remaining nine cities, who had not responded by mail, were vital to the study, it was decided to travel to these cities to try to enlist their support. Of the nine cities the writer visited, excluding those which were ineligible to participate for reasons given above, six agreed to participate in the study. However, one (Pleasant Island) was dropped later for lack of data. Of the 20 eligible cities, then, 16 (80%) cooperated in this research project. Upon receipt of the list of ordinances, resolutions, and motions, eight of the most important decisions were selected and placed on a participation-evaluation scale. The develop- ment and use of this scale will be explained in detail in Chapter II of this thesis. This scalefsee Appendix D), with 22 eight of the most important ordinances, resolutions and mo- tions passed by the city council, along with a questionnaire (see Appendix E) and a cover letter (see Appendix F) was sent to all of the city council members in that city. The same scale, with a slightly different questionnaire (see Ap- pendix G) and cover letter (see Appendix H), was sent to the city clerk in that city. This same procedure was repeated in every one of the participating cities. Several weeks later each of the council mmebers and mayors was sent a fol- low-up "thank you" letter (see Appendix I). Upon return of the participation-evaluation scales and questionnaires from the councilmen and the clerks, the data were recorded and are presented in Chapters II and III of this thesis. In addition to completing the participation-evaluation scale and questionnaire, each of the city clerks was sent a PAR (participation-awareness-responsibility) test and a cov- er letter (see Appendiaes J and K). The results of this test are presented in Chapter IV. Upon completion of the project, each of the participat- ing clerks was sent a copy of the summary of the findings. CHAPTER II THE PARTICIPATION-EVALUATION SCALE In order to measure the extent to which the city clerk participated in council decisions, a tool had to be devel- oped which could quantify the data in a meaningful way. It was largely through the efforts of Dr. Nathan Hakman and the writer that the participation-evaluation scale was devel- oped.1 A. Development of the Scale An attempt was made to include within the scale all of the possible ways in which the city clerk could have partic- ipated in the consideration of ordinances, regolutions, and .motions by the city council. Upon receipt of the list of ordinances, resolutions, and motions from.the city clerk, in each of the participating cities, eight of these decisions were entered on participation-evaluation scales.2 These 1Before the participation-evaluation scale was used in this study, it was submitted to Mr. George Sidwell, a Lansing attorney, who made several constructive criticisms and sug- gestions which were incorporated into the scale. The scale was then pre-tested on the city clerk of East Lansing and the city clerk of Central City, the pre-test city. 230me of the cities conducted less business during the six month period being tested than others. Therefore, some 24 scales, along with an explanatory letter (see Appendices D, E, and F) and a questionnaire, were sent to the mayor and all of the council members of each of the participating Fourth Class cities. A participation-evaluation scale was also sent to the city clerk in order to discover how he thought he had participated in these decisions. This "self- image" evaluation by the clerk could then be compared effec- tively with the council members' perceptions of how the clerk had participated in council decisions. The final scale that emerged after the pre-testing was as follows: PARTICIPATION-EVALUATION SCALE Below are listed several of the ordinances, resolutions and motions passed by your city council during the peri- od October 1, 1954, to March 31, 1955. Directly beneath each of the ordinances, resolutions or motions is a series of numbers from one (1) to seven (7). These num- bers correspond to the ones in the following participa- tion-evaluation scale: 1. -Clerk initiated ordinance, resolution, or motion, and it was passed by the council without delibera- tion. 2. Clerk's advice was requested on proposed ordinance, resolution, or motion, then accepted without council deliberation. of them did not have the full eight decisions to be measured. These cities are: Morris (7 decisions), Pleasant Island (6), Lakeland (7), Coastville (7), Port City (7), and Summerton (6). 25 3. Clerk's advice was requested on proposed ordi- nance, resolution, or motion, then accepted after council deliberation. 4. Clerk's advice on proposed ordinance, resolution, was requested, modified by council, then accepted. 5. Clerk's advice was requested, but not accepted by council. 6. Clerk was asked to present information on proposed ordinance, resolution, or motion; and—the council did not ask for the clerk's advice. 7. Clerk did not participate. This participation-evaluation scale covers all of the possible ways in which the city clerk could have partic- ipated in the consideration of ordinances, resolutions, or motions by the city council. We would like you to look at, for example, a resolution listed below, then look at the above participation—evaluation scale to find the course of action which best describes the clerk's participation in that particular ordinance, resolution, or motion, as best_you can recall. When you have decid- dd which ppe of the above 7 items is closest to the clerk's participation, mark an "x" in the corresponding blank beneath the ordinance, resolution, or motion which you are considering. Motion (October 4, 1954) To amend zoning ordinance.5 Motion (October 25, 1954) Ways and Means Committee be authorized to negotiate for pumping station property. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Ordinance (November 8, 1954) Regulating street number- ing of houses and buildings and providing a penalty for the violation thereof. 1 2 5 4 5 6 7 SThese eight ordinances, resolutions, and motions were included for illustrative purposes. This particular set of decisions were those made in Haven City. Motion (November 8, 1954) Property to be purchased for new pumping station. l 2 3 4 5 6 7 Resolution (January 10, 1955) Pedestrian bridge on U.S. 27. l 2 3 4 5 6 7 Motion (January 10, 1955) Share of $2,000.00 Recreation Program. 1 2 5 4 5 6 7 Resolution (January 24, 1955) Amendment of City Charter, section 258. l 2 3 4 5 6 7 Motion (March 28, 1955) Tentative approval for new sub- division. _ l 2 3 4 5 6 7 Each of the city clerks in the study sent in similar lists of ordinances, resolutions, and motions, which were typed on the mimeographed participation-evaluation scales and sent to all of the council members and city clerks of every city. B0 The Panel The panel which judged the extent to which the clerk had participated in council decisions consisted of those councilmen who returned their participation-evaluation scales. The number of responding councilmen varied in each city. No minimum or maximum number of councilmen was set for the panels. The total participation score was derived ‘from the responding councilmen, regardless of the number re- spending. 27 C. Method of Scoring Upon receipt of the participation-evaluation scales from the council members and the city clerk, the writer re- corded the data on score tables, one for each city in the study (see Table I). Each of the numbered items in the participation-evaluation scale was assigned weights as fol- lows: item.l = 1 point; item 2 I 2 points item 3 a 3 points item 4 I 4 points item 5 = 5 points item 6 = 6 points item.7 = 7 points The number of points that each of the councilmen had assigned to the clerk in every decision was transcribed from the participation-evaluation scales to a table (see Table I). Each of the columns was totaled, thereby showing the total participation score for the city clerk in all of the deci- sions, per councilman. In order to get the average points per councilman, the total score was then divided by the num- ber of decisions. All of the average participation scores (per councilman) were then added up and divided by the num- ber of councilmen, in order to ascertain the clerk's partic- ipation score, as perceived by all of the resending members of the city council. 28 anode he soon as amen» 3333333 3.39 58» meaaqfioflmfl a Macao hado some?!” om.o new aoandoou hon don—H.330 Add th now-noon I a: Mom 339.“ amused . unseen awoke»! gangsta I 0-. 2.88 33 593339 #4. esteem aeeoa.‘wm . . and. tandem annoy . . 4 ii . gdogo 33 man RM m»... Sam A a... G - - 63.254 W . s , e... a. a a. 55.3.. , . -_ . . :Aoe,uu»oa m m x n“ “W s s m e N can I . MW 5 h M o h sun m m m e. e e. a ~ .3 w m Hm .. e. a. a 2.. m3 . m. m a a e. e. a .3 .P h mm H n m n p N non m e M e. a. a. and e. .3 a. e. g. e. 1.13 79.5-3.3 :38 332.5 one map 5.6 3.6 m3 .3 man «no page 13:0 as 29 The clerk's "self-image" of participation in council decisions is equal to the column total divided by the number of decisions. 3 Instead of including a score sheet for every city in the body of this thesis, all of the score sheets have been combined into a summary table (see Table II). Because of the method used in scoring the items on the participation- evaluation scale (see pages 24-26), the clerks with the highest scores will be those who participated the lpgep in the council's decisions, and vice versa. The clerks are ar- ranged on the summary table according to their degree of participation, i.e., from.those who participated the most on the top, to those who participated least at the bottom of the table. Examination of the summary table (Table II) shows that in no case did any clerk receive less than 4.06 points as an average for his participation, according to the panel, in all of the council decisions being measured. This would seem to indicate that the first three points of the seven point participation-evaluation scale, for all practical pur- poses, were invalid. That is, no one clerk received a total participation score from the council members of either one, two, or three. Although many clerks did receive one, two, three ratings on-individual decisions, when all of the scores for each decision were averaged out, a higher partic- gain—0:306 a." aoapdaaoanfiom can conga-ache 3.8.3 on» name conceded.“ Ty an.“- nsndl d .3ueoa.aooe 5 33.3333 .3 monitotena at? on. a...» .3835 2 new. :3 4 .3 .32 on. 3 352.. .5 no 33 w w I:- 3» :0.“ .230. fledudndowmmhma baron—314mg» nuffidegeo non nan—Hem on» Add Me omens»: 0E I 8:. 8.... , 4 ea.» 325.80 a I... 60.x. co.» 004. co.» co.» hndo sebum 0 mm. .. R3 ma... 5... 8;. 8.» 38 anode o 3.? we... 3.. em... 8.. not... a m1? we... R6 em... «fim we... R3 533.... o 2.. 4 «.3 £6 is 3.2... s 8. p. 8... 33 NA... «a... sputum. e 2. 4... no... 3.» 3.0 3.0 8... on... 33.3 s .3. on... gum hum Rd 3... Ed .36 a3 . 32"» 83 fun eum .355... o S. 9. and 25m 83 R... m»... 535.3..." m mus..- £3 omen due 8.» 2.3 me... 53:28 s 84.,” 8.: oo.m 69m oo.m 33.3.23 0 . an...» 8... we... we} 3.3.3. o 3. p em... 2.: 9...: omé 3.: usual... 3 3&9. mu... 3.... we...“ omfi zit...” 0 833.3 73.3... zoaadmflmwmmm: out 9.0 To one mu» .3 «no «to 4.1... h 33.35 .3 3.3 54.8... ,- _ .3 a. .3- nnmeom nomaqfieflm: so 6333 58... near. 53.... H3 1(1) 4“ HH an IL, 3 \ . ' ' I 'I i- 0 l.. | . .I. r. .. C -l.‘ ‘ V n ‘ . u. I ' tm . I . . I O ’ I a _ .VO . . . h U § 3 C W; p I! -. . . I I - . J . .. I . a o . I - . I I I III . - . III III 0. ..I .. I .. . ~. 0 a: p. . ~.. - . . II - . ' ‘.. ll . r- . - _ p ' \ v .0 I. l\ l. . f 34 .. .I. . . . . 'III 0 I . ‘Iualt . 0"! I. l ..Io. I 5.. I I! I.. o l ) (.4... . .u .. .. .1 . O O .. O . .. O . O t .. . .. m / I. . L... . .0 I O . ‘.. ., u z I . 0 . IO. .. . I. ' Q d l ‘ . . a . no. . I . . ..l.. .. . .. . . ,.. . . . . o . o . I I. . .v .. . -. . .r. I .0 . o. . N C .L .. \. a . O O. . . C . o C .. .. ~ 1 .. ... . . . O .. . C v {I r I... -.'l c I OII I I II"! ‘ .un '1‘! . . I . I , v . . I g L . L. . . S .AI .. .. . I I C . .F I I r v I . v. I .u C a . . . . . . . . I ., . Iu 1|! ..u J 6 . li-l!.f!.a .o x. . .u.. 0. . r». . . ...l..L . . _I 0.. .- .w 0 . .,.. . 0.. : a . a L - O .i. .I . . O V. r O C n O. . . II. p . .u C .‘. y .. .u I.... 31 ipation score average appeared. Re-examination of the first three items in the participation-evaluation scale by the reader will show that it is virtually impossible for a clerk to receive a total participation score less than 4.00. If a clerk did receive a total participation score of 1.00, 2.00, or 3.00, one would be inclined to speculate about whether it was the clerk instead of the city council who nade the deci- sions. The extreme right hand column in the summary scale shows the deviation resulting from the council members' per- ceptions of how the clerk had participated in council deci- sions and the clerk's perceptions (self-image) of his own participation. Six (40.0%) of the clerks underestimated their participation, seven (46.7%) overestimated their par- ticipation, and two (13.3%) viewed their participation in the same way that the council had. The mean deviation for the five clerks who underestimated their participation was 1.52. For the seven clerks who overestimated their partici- pation, the mean deviation was 1.34. It is safe to conclude, therefore, that most of the clerks were in considerable dis- agreement with the panel members as to the extent of their participation in council decisions. Upon compilation of the individual participation scores, the clerks were placed into three categories: advice, in- formation, and non-participation (see Table III). Each of co.» co.» QHHA>nndoo ouch heap sebum . meé 3.3 «has... fiat—O. . Rom.» .mBano nofiqhoflfie ‘G ' ' I- ' 'c' i 8.3 8.33.3. da.o nuanel «a... 8.3.95. £3 37.3 “Tm $3 anon 57m ‘ 3:th flan afimmfiofl omfi aqm ooom we} . .3 so... has. anon Odddb0Hnbo NOOIHflg noaholluu mmfinmmn «weuswoavawHe. HOHH>>>a>>z>a>>t>>t>>>t>>t>z>>> UUUUU DO U UU UU U UUUUUUUUUUUUU -2; I do not really like the way some strangers will try to strike up a conversation with a person. ' It is hard forms to make quick decisions. Useless ideas sometimes come into my mind and bother me. When I finish one job, I can hardly vmit to get started on the next one. ' I make a point of introducing myself to strangers at a party. Under our system, the states have only those powers granted to them by the national goverment, When the community makes a decision, it is up to a. person to help carry it out 3 even if he had been against it'. At times I have very much wanted to leave home. I find it hard to make talk when I meet new people. It’-’s a wonder there aren't more crimes with all the bad people in the world. I honestly think that I am sanewlnt clearer headed than a lot of peoplo. Whtever pecple say about it, the world is actually a pretty selfish, dog-eat-dog affair. I talk a lot. It bothers me that I don't have more education. Wet we need are more strong leaders who can tell us what to do. The trouble with our country is that the well-educated and learned men don't go into politics. . I have no use for a man who is satisfied to remain where he is all his life. ' People in big cities are too cold and heartless. The harder something is to figureout, the more I enjoy it. I must admit I often feel grouohy. I I honestly believe I'have more persistence than most peeple. I make a point of keeping my Opinions to myself. It is a well-known fact that the Republicans can always count on the big-city voter while the Democrats always get the farm vote. I doubt whether I would make a good leader. Some of my family have habits that bother and annoy me very much. In a group of peeple I would not be embarrased to be called upon to start a discussion or give an opinion about something I know W611. wrap» A. A A A ." IL A a IL A A UUUUUUUU U UUUUU -3- It's all right to have friends, but you shouldn't let yourself get so attached that you're always having to do things for them. I dislike to have to talk in front of a group of people. You can't change human nature. I think I talk more rapidly than others do0 Money is not much of a problem to me. We'd be better off if? we let the experts handle more things fmstead of trying to figure them out for curselnes. A little experience will give you mace thunderstanding about the world than a library full of books: I do not'care particularly whether I leave any "mark" on this world. The best kind of politician is one who is just like the rest of us. I am known as a hard and steady worker. It often seems that my mind wanders. . I an very particular about my clothes. I don't like belonging to organizations. The United States' mtiomzl budget now spends more money for military purposes and war veterans than for all other purposes put togethera ' Every citizen should take time to find out about national affairs, even if it means giving up some personal pleasure. I have been inspired to a program of life based on duty which I have since carefully followed. ' I prefer to be with pe0p1e of wealth and good breeding. I like to see a good fight once in a while. I must admit that I am a pretty fair talker. Although there are setbacks now and then, on the average the world keeps getting better and better. ' I dont't seem to get as tired at night time as some peeple do. I would like to wear more expensive clothes than I do. People may not like to admit it, but what we really need is leadership like the Army or new could give. Symphony concerts are among my favorite programs on the radio. I‘mbition is often a terrible curse on a man. I like to have a small set of really close friends and then not be bothered with most people. I have often been the last one to quit trying to do a thing. A ". A}. I). .5. A I; A 15 A p. p .’> DU UU U l") UUUUUUUUUU UUUUUUUUUUU .1 4 s I am often in low spirits. I have no sympathy with people who get discouraged easily. I enjoy belonging to clubs and lodges. The chairmnships of Congressional committees are assigned on the basis of seniority. I would be willing to give money myself in order to right a wrong even though I was not mixed up in it in the first place. I hive a t times stood in the way of peOple who were trying to do something, not because'it amounted to much but because of the principle of the thing. ‘ I think Lincoln was greater than Washington. You have to be pretty choosy about picking friends. I rather enjoy a good hard argument. In congress, the best view wins out in the long run. I like the exoitment of crowds and lots of peOple. I hate to come back to work after a vacation. 8 political leader shouldn't try to tell peeple what to doj he should try to find out what they want, and then do that. I read at least ten books a year. Security is more important to me than advancement. The feeling of "knowing everyone" that you get in a small town appeals to me. ’ I worry over possible misfortunes. I very seldom do things impulsively, on the sppr of the manent. I often chat with clerks when they are waiting on me. The Cabinet may exercise its legal power as a body to assist in the lawmaking process. I sanctirtes keep on at a thing until others lose their patience with me. I work under a great deal of tension. I met admit that rich, successful people are generally more pleasant to be with tlmn poor people. ‘ There are a lot of people in this world who are no good. . I often feel that I am not good enough to succeed at something. The whole world seems to be going to ruin. I can work for extra long stretches and not feel the least bit tired. p UUUUUUUU >p>>>>s>>>>>>>sswaps-eases» 6 UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU :. s .‘._ I wouldn't change jobs if I could. I feel that the heart is as good a guide as the head. I would give a lot to becane really famous. I must admit tint a great mny people boreme. It is often hard for me to make up my mind. The person who says he wants to"take it easy“ is usually just making up excuses. Each state has the same number of senators regardless of its population. ‘ I wouldn't rant 9. job where I had to sit at a desk all day. My table manners are not quite as good at hone as when I an out in 0mm. My judgement is a little better than the average person's. I got happy and talkative when there are lots of people around. . I would rather write a great book than inherit a million dollars. Everyone should try to amount to more than his parents did. In most states, the rural areas get more representatives'in proportion to population than do the cities'and towns. I have a natural talent for influencing peeple. I lmow who is responsible for most of my troubles. I wouldn't want a job where I had to sit at_a desk all day... .-.t - .. .' Suit. A person is foolish who'does not put forth a lot of effort to make something of himself. Jackson was the founder of the Republican Party, and to a very great extent, the Republicans still follow his views. I law sanctimes stayed many from another person because I feared doing or saying “nothing that I might regret afterwards. It makes me impatient to have people ask my advice or otherwise interrupt me when I am working on something important. Ever since Jackson, the Democrats have usually appointed larger cabinets than the Republicans. Whon in a group of peeple I have trouble thinking of the right things to talk about. ' When I got bored I like to stir up some excitement. rim-man Thanas run several times as the Communist candidate for President. A large number of people are guilty of bad sexual conduct. It sakes me unoanfortable to put on a stunt‘at a party even when others are doing the same sort of things. A a: s- ¢> a, a- e- a: :> s> a» => s> :> :> UU UUU .‘> A UUUUUUU UUU C1 UUUUUUUU U .- 6 a". A United States Senator serves for a four year term. I have strong political opinions. I feel that I have often been punished without cause. The main difference between r‘snerican democracy and modern'dictator- ship is that in a democracy you have private property. I should like to belong to several clubs or lodges. I have periods of such great restlessness that I cannot sit long in :1 01‘3”. The Democrats have won the majority of Negro votes because they carried the main fight to free the slaves while the Republicans were against it. I have not lived the right kind of life. I have often had to take orders from someone who did not know as much (18 I did. The term "separation of powers" refers to the practice of removing cabinet members who refuse to support the administration. I never worry about my looks. Congressional investigating committees are chosen by the President and investigate whatever he orders them to. ' I find it hard to keep my mind on a task or job. The primary election was designed by party bosses because it‘in- creases their chance to decide who the candidates will be. I practically never blush. Under the United Nations charter, the United Nations have over- ' ruled laws of the United States Congress on several occasions. I dislike to have to talk in front of a group of people. The Bill of Rig“ hts of the Const -tution includes a restatement of four of the Ten Cmmdments. I believe there is a Devil and 0. Hell in afterlife. Tariffs hiven been advocated mostly by consumers groups since they benefit the most from them. In school I found it very lard to talk before the class. Patronage refers to the attitude of many Imoricans who respect the flag and love our country. I hate to tell other peeple What to do. The fact that no government regulations of the stock market now exist has caused some small investors to recently ask Congress for a law on this subject. School teachers complain a lot about their pay, but it seems to me they get as much as they deserve. Members of the state legislature are usually chosen, not from districts, as are Congress men, but from the state at large. Christ performed miracles such as changing water into wine. A A A A f 48. A A A C1 C1 C5 C3 C1 C1 C1 :1 C! C1 ‘3 C1 C3 C1 C1 C1 C1 C3 C3 C3 Ci '3 ‘3 -7... If a state law conflicts with a law passed by Congress, the courts usually uphold the national law rather than the state law. When prices are high you can't blame a person for getting all he can while the getting's good. The 11.3. Son; to is not elected according to population, and so, a few people's votes in some st tea may count for as many people’s votes in another state. I am certainly lacking in self-confidence. Under our constitution, the Cabinet is responsible to the Congress. I must admit that I an a pretty fair talker. Congress can pass any law it wants to, according to the Constitution. I played hooky from school quite often as a youngster. The Constitution provides that in order to run for the Semte, you have to be a citizen and an owner of property. I m embarrassed with people I do not know well. The free enterprise idea has always supported monOpoly, but the government has been looking into the matter recently. Im not the type to be a political leader. The city mamger plan calls for a city government of one man, thus eliminating the salaries of councilmen, aldermen, commissioners and the rest of the officeholders usually found in the city government. When I leave home I do not worry about whether the door is locked and the windmrs closed. There are about 100 members in the U.S. House of Representatives. There are times when I act like a coward. A greznt-in-aid is a money contribution made by the national gov-'- ernnent to the states in order to get sorhe service performed. I like to give orders and get things moving. The right of free enterprise is specifically granted in the C on St itut i on Q We should cut down on our use of oil, if necessary, so that there will be plenty left for people fifty or a hundred years from new. Under our syéten, the President can declare war if he thinks it necessary. We ought to let EurOpe get out of its own mess; it made its bed, let it lie in it. Our {government now does many things that used to be left to' private enterprise. I think I would enjoy having authority over other people. Our form'of government is worked out so that the majority always YUIGS. In a group, I usually take the reSpons ibilfly for getting people introduced. A A A A A A A). 44L A A A A U U U U U U U U UU U UU -8- Cities in America receive authority for their charters from the state goverments. I do many things which I regret afterwards (I regret things acre or more often thin others seem to) Under our form of government, the President is considered to be independent of the legislature, and does not drew his authority from Congress. I don't blame anyone for trying to grab everything he can get in this world. It is traditional for the Cabinet to be made up, half and half, of people from the two major parties. I very mach like hinting. I have more trouble concentrating than others Seem to have. Hy parents have often objected to the kind of peeple I went around with. The one to than I was most attached and when I most admired as a child was a wcnan (nether, sister, aunt, or other woman). I am a better talker than listener. Smoothing exciting will almost always pull me out of it when I am feeling low. a person does not need'to worry about other peeple if only he looks after himself. I usual) y have to stop and think before I act even in trifling matters. ' ' I enjoy planning things, and deciding what each person should do. When I work on a committee I like to charge of things. I would rather not have very much reSponsibility for other people. THANK YOU I APPENDIX K 95 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY East Lansing, Michigan July 6, 1955 Department of Political Science Dear This is the third and final step in the hth Class City Clerk Project. You have completed the first two steps: the list of ordinances, resolutions, and motions; and the participation-evaluation scale and questionnaire. The next time we get in touch with you will be when we send a copy of the com- plated final report, in which you will be very interested, I'm sure. You might be interested to know that the writer has Just completed s 20(1) mile trip through Michigan visiting and interviewing about half of the city clerks taking part in this project. All of the city clerks and other officials interviewed were more cooperative and helpful than we had anticipated. They expressed a great deal of interest in this project, and are anxious to see the final report. If your city was one of those which we were not able to visit on this trip, we will try to visit you sometime later on this summer. Enclosed is something which we call a PAR (participation-awareness- responsibility) test. This test attempts to measure personality charac- teristics, awareness of the governmental process, etc. The PI! test which we are using is a much abbreviated form of a similar test adminis- tered to hundreds of federal, state, andlocal government officials in the state of Minnesota several years ago. It shouldn't take you very long to complete; and I'm sure you'll enjoy doing it. We are very pressed for time in this fiudy in that all of the data must be gathered and the final report completed by July 30. If you could get the PAR test back to us by the 15th of July we would appreciate it very much. Please put the PAR test in the self-addressed, stamped, manila en- velope, and seniit to us as soon as possible. Thank you for the coopera- tion and interest you have show so far, wbtheut your help there would have been little chance for this project to meet with any degree of sums. Sincerely, Walter D. De Vries APPENDIX I. 96 us awesome .9 City Clerk Project 1. cute and Ststus Psetors (including me: 8t.) (6 items) 1. 18. 35. 52. 69. as. 2. leed Rejection, Hostility (6 items) 2. 19. 36. 53. 7o. 86. “ 3. welt-Confidenee-Indecision (7 items) 3. 20. 37. Sh. 71. 87. 99. h. Qessiniw-Optinisn (6 items) 1., 21. 38. 55. 72. 88. S. Inthnsissn, Zest, Drive (8 items) 5. 22. 39. 56. 73. 89. 100, 106. 6. Life Satisfaction (6 items) 6. 23. 1&0. 57. 7h. 90. 7. lensgerislisn (5 items) 7s 21+: (+1: 53, 75. 8. Intelleetuslity (7 items) 8. 25. ha. 59. 76, 91. io1. 9. Aspirstion--lnbition (8 items) 9. 26, ha, 60. 77. 92. 102. 107. 10. relksiness (6 items) 10, 27. 11h. 61, 78; 93. ll. Perseversnee (1.. items) 11, 28, [1.5, 62. 12. stabilityuebisergenissticn (6 items) 12. 29. R6. 63. 79. 9h. ' 13. leurssthenis vs. *Vigereus Obsessionel Determinstion (6 items) 133 3°: 11-79 6!... 80. 95e .1 . ‘ 1b .» e . . . . . e‘.‘ a D ' . .. < J y .n n . ‘ . . u .. . . . . .1. s w. I x n! 15. 16. 17. 97 Social Extreversion (5 items) 18. 31. 88. 65. a1. ' Awareness (38 items) 15. 32. £19. 66,. 82. 86, 103. 108, 111. 111.. 117. 120. 123, 126, 128. 130. 132. 131+. 136.. 138. 1&0. 1112.1“... 1&6. 158. 150. 152, 1511. 156, 158, 160, 162. 161.. 166, 168, 1701 172. 171.. Deninanee (1.7 items) } A '16. 33. 59.'67, 83. 97. 10h, 109. 112, 115, 118, 121,912u, 127. 129. 131. 133. 135. 137. 139. 11.1. 11.3. 11.5. 11.7. 1119'. 151, 153. 155. 157. 159. 161. 163, 165. 167. 169. 171, 173. 175. 177. 173. 179. 13°. 181. 132. 133. 131$. 135. no: la (Rania) (13 items) 17. 3h.51. 63,611, 98, 185, 119, 113, 116, 119. 122. 125. {Seared in that direetion. ,‘ 'Q ,U 'l r‘ '- ‘0 4.». ROOM USE O?=3LY. 1 ’ e 1 € 1.: 's I ‘ n. ~ V '. é. Goff 7 'g‘g '3 5%; “'1‘ o I "“‘v" 5.9. We: ‘ch/q {/(o 0 AUG 15 1960 i 3 I.) R. {Raj—ER ‘w E; 1321.1? :19 fit? 1 0, 399'; YT'Z“ MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES 3 1293 030710929