Making Government Work

Good government does not just happen. Good government is the result of people working together to decide what needs to be done for the community and then working to carry out those decisions. People make government work.

Who are the people involved in local government? This chapter explores the answer to that question. We consider six groups: voters, elected officials, local government employees, volunteers, members of appointed boards, and the general public.

People may be in several of these groups at once. For example, all voters are members of the general public, and all elected officials are also voters. Government employees may also be volunteers in other public agencies. They are almost always voters, too. This chapter discusses the different groups separately to indicate the different ways people help shape the way government works.

VOTERS

The voters in each jurisdiction choose the members of their local governing boards. The voters in each county also elect a sheriff and a register of deeds. The voters must also approve any agreement by their local government to borrow money that will be repaid with tax receipts. Through voting, the people determine who their government leaders will be and give the officials they elect the authority to govern. Voting is, thus, the essential act of representative democracy. Voting is both a very special responsibility and a very important civil right.

Who can vote?

Struggles over the right to vote have continued ever since the United States gained independence from Great Britain. At independence, only free male citizens who were 21 years of age or older and who paid taxes could vote for members of the lower house of the North Carolina General Assembly. Only men who met all those qualifications and also owned at least 50 acres of land could vote for members of the state senate. (There were no local elected officials.) Most African Americans were held as slaves and could not vote at all. In 1835, the General Assembly prohibited even free men of African descent from voting in North Carolina.

The Civil War ended slavery, and in 1870 the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extended voting rights to all male citizens 21 or older, regardless of "race, creed, color, or previous condition of servitude." For the next few years, African Americans were able to vote as the Constitution permitted. In 1890 more than 1,000 black North Carolinians held office. But some white leaders feared an alliance between black voters and poor white voters. To prevent that alliance, some white leaders stirred up racial fears among whites and pushed racial segregation. The segregation laws were called "Jim Crow" laws. By the end of the nineteenth century, the North Carolina General Assembly had devised means of keeping most nonwhite men from voting, and the federal government refused to enforce the Constitution.

Women could not vote in North Carolina at the beginning of the twentieth century either, even though some people had long been seeking voting rights (or "suffrage)" for women. Finally, in 1920 the women's suffrage movement was successful. That year the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution extended the right to vote to female citizens 21 and older.

Although white women began to vote in North Carolina in the 1920s, most African American and Native American citizens of North Carolina were kept from voting until the 1960s. A major accomplishment of the civil rights movement, which also ended racial segregation in North Carolina, was the guarantee of voting rights for all adult citizens.

The last extension of voting rights came in 1971 when the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution guaranteed the right to vote to younger adults. Now all citizens who are at least 18 years old are eligible to vote. Anyone who was born in the United States is a citizen. So are children born in other countries if either of their parents is a United States citizen. Other people who are born in other countries may become United States citizens through naturalization, a procedure administered by the U.S. State Department.

Being eligible to vote does not make you a voter, however. To be a voter, you must first register with the local board of elections in the county where you live. Seventeen-year-old citizens may register if they will be eighteen years old by the next general election. Thus, you can register and vote in a primary election when you are seventeen if your eighteenth birthday comes before the November general election.

To be a voter, of course, you must also cast your ballot—that is, you must vote!

Photo by Chris English / The Winston-Salem Journal
Recent state legislation mandates the elimination of punch card ballots by January 1, 2006. Here an elections director tests an electronic voting system under consideration for use in her county.

Each county is divided into voting precincts. The county board of elections establishes a place to vote—a polling place—in each precinct. Registered voters may cast their ballots in person at the polling place on election day. If they are unable to get to the polling place because of illness or travel, they may vote by absentee ballot. In some counties, the board of elections even sets up "no excuse" voting places before election day, so that voters who want to vote early may do so, whether or not they would qualify for an absentee ballot.

People vote because they want to exercise their rights. They vote to support candidates, parties, or issues. They vote to oppose candidates, parties, or issues. They vote to make their communities better. They vote to show that the government belongs to them and because they feel responsible for helping to select public leaders.

In the News . . .
Photo by Karen Thomisee / The McDowell News A student at McDowell High School registers to vote.
A sign of citizenship By Nathan Hall
The McDowell Board of Elections is making it easy for young people to register to vote this year. Staff members set up a signup booth at McDowell High Thursday afternoon during lunch periods. They said they were pleased with the turnout. "We'd loved to have had more, but it was well worth the work and the time," said Elections Director Kim Welborn. "Hopefully we'll receive more by mail." Forms were left in guidance office that students could mail in. Both Welborn and elections assistant Cheryl Mitchell were there on behalf of the board helping students to register. At the end of the day, 65 students had filled out the forms. Currently, there are 304 seniors at McDowell High, and 17 at the Accelerated Learning Center. School officials said some juniors might also have been eligible to register. The school announced the signup daily for about two weeks. Students were eligible to register if they were 18 or would be 18 before Nov. 5, 2003. "	Our record books will tell you that below the age of 25, there's just no participation," said Welborn. "We're going to change that." Welborn said it was the first time the Board of Elections had visited the high school for registration signup. Mitchell and Welborn said that they were going to the Accelerated Learning Center on Friday for registration signups. Welborn hopes that making registration convenient for students will increase the number of registered voters. Some students indicated that the relative easiness of the process was a motivation to sign up. "I probably wouldn't have registered if it wasn't right here at school," said Bryan Gunter. But each student had a different reason for registering. "It's important that I have a say in what goes on in this community," said Mila Wilmoth.	Avizia Long said she registered because she likes to keep up with current events. Senior Lyric Thompson said she was glad to capitalize on the opportunity to vote once she turned 18. "I'm glad to express my opinion when given the opportunity," she said. Senior Nicki Bradley said that she believes it is a privilege to get to pick who she wants to represent her. "Voting is a good way to voice my opinions through other people," said Mandy Ledford. The McDowell Board of Elections is also sponsoring a voting slogan contest for high school students. The winner will receive a basket containing free pizza coupons, free movie passes and rentals, free skating, bowling, ice cream and more. [Editor's note: Contest guidelines and details for submittal were included in the original article.] —Excerpted by permission of The McDowell News March 8, 2002

ELECTED OFFICIALS

The elected leaders of local governments are the members of their governing boards. For counties, these are the county commissioners. For municipalities, they are the council members (or "aldermen" or commissioners) and mayor. These officials have the authority to adopt policies for local government and are responsible to the people for seeing that local government responds to public needs and works well to meet those needs.

The governing board is the local government's legislature. The members discuss and debate policy proposals. Under state law, the board has the authority to determine what local public services to provide, what community improvements to pursue, and what kinds of behavior and land use to regulate as harmful. The local governing board also sets local tax rates and user fees and adopts a budget for spending the local government's funds. The board appoints the manager who is chief administrator for the government. All of these are group decisions. The board votes, and a majority must approve any action.

Each local governing board has a presiding officer—someone who conducts the meetings of the governing board, speaks officially for the local government, and represents the government at ceremonies and celebrations. In cities and towns, this is the mayor. Voters elect the mayor in most North Carolina cities and towns. In a few of the state's municipalities, however, members of the local governing board elect a mayor from among the members of the board. The presiding officer for a county is the chairman of the board of county commissioners. (Although the office is officially called "chairman," women can and do hold the office.) In most North Carolina counties, the board elects one of its members as chairman. In one county, the voters elect the chairman of the board of county commissioners.

Photo by Christine Rucker / The Winston-Salem Journal

Mayors like Grady Spry of Cooleemee often speak for their local government in meetings with other public and private groups.

The sheriff and the register of deeds are elected to head their respective departments of county government. The sheriff's department operates the county jail, patrols and investigates crimes in areas of the county not served by other local police departments, and serves court orders and subpoenas. The register of deeds office maintains official records of land and of births, deaths, and marriages. Both the sheriff and the register of deeds hire their own staffs. They are not required to hire on the basis of merit, although their employees must meet basic requirements set by the state.

School boards are also local governing boards. They are like city and county governing boards, except their authority is more limited. They are responsible only for policies regarding the local public schools, and they cannot set tax rates or appropriate funds. The county commissioners determine how much money the county will spend to support local public schools.

All local elected officials represent the people of the jurisdiction. People often contact these elected officials to suggest policy changes or to express their opinions on policy proposals that are being considered by the board. Boards hold public hearings on particularly controversial issues to provide additional opportunities for people to tell the board their views on policy proposals.

Photo by Jim Harper / The State Port Pilot Campaign signs line a busy road in Oak Island just before the November 2001 municipal elections.

Elected officials get their authority from the people. Campaigning for office gives candidates an opportunity to express their views about local issues and to hear what citizens want from their elected officials. Elections give voters the opportunity to choose candidates who share their views on issues. Through election, voters give elected officials the authority to make decisions which everyone will have to obey. Through election, voters also hold elected officials accountable. People can vote against an elected official who does not represent them and defeat that official in the next election.

Elections are held every two or four years, depending on the term of office established for each office. In jurisdictions where board members are elected by district or ward, each voter votes only for the candidate from the voter's own district. In jurisdictions where members are elected at large, each voter may vote for as many candidates as there are positions to be filled. (Some jurisdictions have at-large elections for board members, but require that candidates live in and run for seats representing specific districts.) Election by district may produce a more diverse governing board if minority groups are concentrated in some parts of the jurisdiction. Districts can be drawn around those population concentrations so that a group which is a minority in the total population is a majority within the district. Federal courts have required district elections in counties and municipalities which have substantial African American populations but have failed to elect African American board members.

Elections for county commissioners are held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in even-numbered years, along with elections for state officials and members of Congress. The county sheriff and register of deeds are elected then, too. In practice, the sheriff and register of deeds are often reelected, term after term. Often sheriffs and registers of deeds serve until they choose to retire. Frequently their successors have served as their deputies. Sometimes, however, these elections are highly contested—especially the elections for sheriff.

County elections are partisan. That is, candidates run under political party labels. Primary elections are held several months before the November general election. Primary elections are elections among the candidates of a party to choose the party's candidates for the general election. In the primary election, members of each party vote only for their party's candidate. The two major political parties are the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Other parties and non-party candidates may also get on the ballot by filing petitions.

Elections for city council members (or aldermen) are held in odd-numbered years. Election for mayor is held at the same time in those cities and towns where the voters elect the mayor. Most cities and towns have nonpartisan elections. That is, candidates do not run under party labels. These municipalities may have local voters' organizations that support candidates, but the Democratic and Republican parties are not permitted to run candidates in most North Carolina municipalities. Only a few cities and towns hold primary elections.

Most school board elections are also nonpartisan. School board elections are in even-numbered years, with some at the time of the general election, some at the time of the primary election, and some at other, special election dates.

Altogether, more than 700 elected officials serve the state's county governments and almost 3,000 elected officials serve in North Carolina municipalities.

Why do people run for a seat on the local governing board? They may be interested in getting local government to adopt a particular policy proposal. They may want to help shape the future of the community more generally. They may feel an obligation to serve the public. They may want to explore politics and perhaps prepare for seeking state or federal office. They may enjoy exercising public responsibility or being recognized as a public leader.

Working for local government . . .
Mission Accomplished By Richard Nubel
Presiding over her final meeting as top elected official of the Town of Oak Island Tuesday night, mayor Joan P. Altman gaveled to a close a remarkable decade-long term of service to her town. By week’s end, a moving van will pull up to the SE 27th Street home she and her husband, Bruce, have occupied for the last 17 years and former mayor Altman’s transition to citizen Joan Altman of Rockford, Ill., will have begun in earnest. Behind, she leaves a legacy few who have served local government have matched. She leaves a town dramatically changed from that which existed in the first days of her service. In fact, she leaves a town that didn’t exist when she came to office in 1991 as mayor of Long Beach. Most significantly, Altman leaves an office — the office of mayor — on which she has indelibly left her mark. As mayor of Long Beach until 1999 and of Oak Island until this week, she has recast the position of mayor, transforming it from once-monthly moderator and cutter of ribbons to a statewide and national spokesman for the town and all of its individual interests. In her unique public service career, Altman was unwilling to sit only at the head of town government’s table. She took the causes of Long Beach and Oak Island to the halls of the state’s General Assembly and to Capitol Hill. She has testified before sessions of the state House and has served on legislative study commissions and special investigative bodies for regulatory agencies. Her talents as a lobbyist on behalf of Long Beach and Oak Island led her to co-found a statewide advocacy group for coastal local government, the N. C. Beach and Shore Preservation Association, and to become its first executive director. Whether the issue was transportation, infrastructure, beach nourishment or protection of the environment, Altman was Oak Island’s point person, representing it to its municipal neighbors, to Brunswick County, to North Carolina and to the nation.	At home she led the town as it firmly set out its land use preferences and sought to provide the infrastructure that would support them. With the late Dot Kelly, mayor of Yaupon Beach, Altman gently but skillfully facilitated the consolidation of two island towns into one and then completed annexation of mainland tracts to the resulting new town. Whether one supported her outright, occasionally, or seldom, it is impossible for anyone to claim Altman’s influence on Long Beach and Oak Island has been anything less than extraordinary. “There’s no use being in town government if you’re not going to do something positive for the citizens,” she said. “The mayor’s is not a once-a-month job. It’s what you do between the meetings.” “The thing I’m proudest of is being able to provide the working environment for town council so it can do its job,” Altman said. “We’ve been able to do that by developing a cooperative relationship with staff, then encouraging council members to share their differences and to work together on those issues where consensus exists. A lot of times issues die because people won’t spend the time trying to find consensus. I knew that was the mayor’s role — to build consensus.” “Sand on the beach, consolidation — it took council and staff,” Altman said. “I couldn’t have done these things by myself. Council said these things are important. I just put in the time to make it happen.” Looking back, Altman says she regrets nothing about her years as mayor of Long Beach and Oak Island. It proved impossible to achieve everything she wanted for Oak Island, but things left undone were not for her lack of effort. She leaves big shoes for her successor to fill. “The mayor is going to have to continue to be a strong advocate for the town, as well as handling the day-to-day responsibilities,” Altman said. “There aren’t many jobs you can take and truly make them your own. The mayor’s job is one.”	Photo by Jim Harper / The State Port Pilot Oak Island’s charter says only that the mayor will preside over monthly meetings of town council and will serve as head of town government, but the scope of the mayor’s job is unlimited, Altman believes. “If you look at attending meetings and cutting ribbons, then doing the mayor’s job isn’t much,” Altman said. “But if you look at the possibilities, then it becomes very personal, because every one will look at it differently. The mayor’s job is defined by the talents and skills of the person in that position and the time he gives to it. So, it is always going to be a very personalized job.” Altman took the job of mayor because she saw possibilities no one else could see at the time. She kept the job for a decade because she continued to think big. She leaves the job with the hope that others will dare to think big. “One of the reasons I ran for office was because I wanted to raise people’s expectations for what their government could be and what it can do,” Altman said. “And that, is really it.” Mission accomplished. —Excerpted by permission of The State Port Pilot September 12, 2001

LOCAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES

Counties and municipalities hire many different kinds of workers. Counties hire nurses, social workers, sanitation inspectors, librarians, and many other specialists to perform county services. Similarly, cities hire police officers, engineers, machinery operators, recreation supervisors, and a wide variety of other specialists to carry out their services. In addition, both city and county governments hire accountants, clerks, maintenance workers, secretaries, administrators, and other staff to support the work of the government. These employees organize government activities, keep government records and accounts of public money, clean and repair government property, and pay the government's bills.

North Carolina local governments employed over 130,000 people in 1999. Local governments thus employed, on average, about 17 people for every 1,000 residents of the state.

Photo by Mark Dolejs / The Herald-Sun

Firefighters are among the many local government employees serving the people of North Carolina.

Most North Carolina local governments have well-established systems for hiring employees on the basis of their qualifications for the job. In some other states, people who work for local government get their jobs because of personal or political connections. Hiring based on family is called nepotism, hiring based on friendship is called favoritism, and hiring based on political support is called patronage. Most North Carolina local governments have and enforce rules against nepotism, favoritism, and patronage. Instead, local governments in North Carolina usually hire people who have the training and experience to do well the job they are being hired for. This is known as hiring based on merit. Local governments in North Carolina hire people on the basis of merit because their primary concern is having employees who can provide the best government services for the lowest cost.

In a merit system, people are also promoted or dismissed on the basis of their job performance, rather than for personal or political reasons. That is, employees who perform their jobs well and show ability for new responsibilities get promoted. Those who do their jobs adequately keep them. Only those who do not do an acceptable job get fired.

Except in the smallest North Carolina local governments, the governing board appoints a manager who is responsible for hiring, promoting, and dismissing government employees. The board judges the manager on how well services are provided and how well government funds are used. Thus, the manager wants to be sure that employees are doing their jobs well.

In larger counties and cities, the manager assigns much of the work of hiring and supporting the government's employees to a human resources (or personnel) department. To guide its work, the personnel department prepares job descriptions for all employees.

An employee's job description lists the duties of the job. When a job becomes vacant, the local government uses the job description to advertise the position. The personnel department accepts job applications from people who would like to be hired for the vacant position. In filling out the job application, the applicant lists his or her education, job training, skills, and previous work experience. The personnel department reviews the applications and selects the applicants who appear to be best qualified for the job. For some jobs, applicants are given a test to see how well qualified they are. Applicants are often asked to provide the names of references. The references are asked for their judgments about the applicant's qualifications for the job. The final set of applicants is then selected. These people are interviewed, usually by the person who would supervise their work if they were hired. That person is usually responsible for recommending who gets hired.

Most local government employees get much satisfaction from working for the public. They are honest, hard-working people who care about making their community a better place. Occasionally, some government employee takes advantage of the public trust and uses his or her government job to cheat the public. Because they are quite rare, these cases get a lot of attention in the press. Most city and county employees in North Carolina take pride in working for the public and in doing their best to see that government programs are well carried out.

VOLUNTEERS

Photo by Kevin Seifert / The Herald-Sun A volunteer takes part in an Earth Day creek cleanup to help improve his community.

Volunteers also help carry out important public services. In many places in North Carolina, volunteers fight fires and provide emergency rescue services. Volunteers assist in programs for young people, the elderly, the homeless, and other groups with special needs. The volunteers may be organized through a city or county's fire department, recreation department, social services department, or other division of government. Or the volunteers may be organized through a non-profit corporation which works in cooperation with local government.

Like their full-time, paid counterparts, volunteer firefighters and emergency medical service technicians are required to have extensive training and are well-qualified to do their jobs. In fact, most of the unincorporated areas of the state and most of the small municipalities depend on volunteers for fire fighting. Also, many counties rely on volunteer emergency rescue squads to provide medical assistance and rescue work.

Many volunteer fire departments are organized as nonprofit associations. They have contracts with a local government to provide fire protection to a specific area. The volunteer fire department receives public funds to buy equipment and supplies needed in fighting fires. Similarly, municipal and county governments often provide buildings or funding for emergency shelters, senior citizens centers, hot lunch programs, youth recreation leagues, and other services operated by nonprofit organizations and staffed by volunteers.

Volunteers enjoy the work they do. They get satisfaction from doing the work itself. They get pleasure from working with other volunteers. And they have the rewards of knowing they have helped other people and improved the community. By volunteering for public service, students, retirees, and people who work full time in other jobs share some of the special pride of working for the good of the community.

MEMBERS OF APPOINTED BOARDS

Local governments also have appointed boards or commissions. These provide opportunities for many other citizens to assist the elected governing board in shaping public policy. State law requires that some of these (such as Alcoholic Beverage Control boards, and boards of elections, health, mental health, and social services) play a direct role in selecting agency heads and setting operating policies for the agency. Other boards are established by the local government to provide policy direction for airports, civic centers, public housing, stadiums, or other public facilities. Still other boards advise elected officials directly on matters ranging from the environment to human relations, from recreation to job training, from open space to transportation. Large cities and counties may have more than thirty appointed boards and commissions, and many hundreds of citizens may serve on the boards of a large local government.

In many cases, at least some of the members of an appointed board must be selected from specific groups in the community. For example, a mental health board must include, among others, a physician, an attorney, and a "primary consumer in recovery and representing the interests of individuals with drug abuse." Other boards and commissions may require that members be residents of various parts of the jurisdiction to provide broad geographic representation. County boards of elections must include both Democrats and Republicans, with the party of the Governor having the majority of members.

People volunteer to serve on appointed boards and commissions for many of the same reasons people run for election. Having a particular concern for the subject the board deals with is especially important for many volunteers. Appointed boards have a narrower range of concerns than city councils or county commissions. Appointed boards provide an opportunity for people with a particular interest in historic preservation or nursing homes or another specific public policy area to work on policy for that particular concern.

THE GENERAL PUBLIC

Everyone uses local government services. Everyone is affected by the decisions local government makes. Everyone also influences local government decisions. Sometimes people are not aware of how they are influencing public policy. Other times they might be trying very hard to change local government policies.

People unintentionally influence local government policies through the use of government services, through their cooperation (or noncooperation) with government programs, and through public behavior that harms others.

How does using government services affect public policy? Government officials often consider use to indicate public wants or needs. According to this view, the more people use a service, the more of that service the government should try to provide. Of course, local governments may not be able to increase the service or officials may decide they cannot afford to do so. In such a situation, officials may try to limit use, but limiting use is also a government policy.

For example, the more often people use a ball field, the fewer hours it is available for other users. Government officials might respond to this increase in use by putting up lights so the field could also be used at night. Or they might build additional fields so that more teams can play at the same time. These are examples of adding more service in response to increased use. But the local governing board might decide it could not afford to add lights or new fields or that adding them would cause other public problems. Instead, officials might decide to limit use of the existing field. They might require people who want to use the field to reserve it in advance or to pay a fee or join a league that schedules games on the field. These are all ways of rationing the service. Rationing is also a response to increased use, but a response which limits use instead of adding service.

Cooperating or failing to cooperate with government programs also influences public policy in important ways. Many programs can succeed only if people cooperate. If they do not, government officials will have to redesign the program in order to handle the problem in another way. Consider the problem of solid waste disposal, for example. Many local officials have begun programs of recycling to reduce the amount of waste going into landfills. Most of these recycling programs depend on people sorting their own trash so that recyclable materials can be collected separately from waste for the landfill. If people do sort their trash, the program succeeds. If they do not, the program will not work, and officials will have to find other ways to get rid of the trash people produce.

Behavior that harms people helps shape public policy because it creates a problem that local government attempts to reduce through regulation. When some people in a community indicate that they are offended, annoyed, or hurt by others' actions, local officials have to respond. The officials may decide that the action is so harmful that it should be regulated, or they may decide that the action is not causing enough of a problem to justify regulation.

Influencing Public Policy

Talking directly to public officials is one very important way to influence policy. People call officials or visit them in person to discuss problems they think require government attention. Or they may speak at public hearings or other meetings attended by public officials. Letters to public officials or petitions signed by large numbers of people are also ways people communicate their views about what government should do.

Often it is important to organize public support for a proposal. Officials are frequently persuaded by the reasons people provide in arguing for or against a proposal, but they can also be persuaded by seeing that large numbers of people agree. To organize support, people publicize the problem and the response they think government should make. They may hold news conferences or demonstrations to get the attention of newspapers, radio, and television. They may also write letters to the editor. Speaking to clubs and other organizations about the problem and proposed solutions is another way to gain support. So are holding meetings about the problem, mailing information to people likely to be interested, and encouraging people to discuss the issue with their friends and neighbors.

People can and do seek to use government for their own personal purposes, of course. But many people are also interested in helping make the entire community a better place to live and work. People may disagree about whether a particular proposal is in the public interest, and debate is important. Asking how the community is improved by a proposal helps focus attention on the public benefits of government action. People who want the government to act should be able to explain how they think the proposed action will help improve conditions generally.

Good government depends on the public being aware of the problems and opportunities facing the community. Good government requires that many people learn about public issues and try to influence public policy. Good government requires that people register and vote. Good government requires that many people volunteer to help government, including running for elective office. Good government requires that many well qualified people make full-time careers serving as employees of local government. Good government will increasingly depend on you, as you become an adult in your community.

CALVIN AND HOBBES © Watterson. Reprinted with permission of UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE. All rights reserved.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Who do you know who are local government employees?

• Who do you know who volunteers for local government work?

• Who do you know who has been elected to local office?

• Who do you know who serves on appointed boards?

2. What was the most recent local election in your city or county?

• How many people voted?

• How many people are registered to vote in your city or county?

• What was the voter turnout in the most recent election? (That is, what percentage of the registered voters voted in that election?)

• Are elections in your city or county by district or at-large? How does that affect representation in your local government?

4. How have you or your family, friends, or neighbors been involved in influencing local government decisions?

5. Newspaper articles and radio and television newscasts often mention disagreements over whether or not local government should regulate certain behavior. Identify a local government law or regulation which has been the subject of disagreement where you live.

• Which government is involved?

• What activities does the law or regulation apply to?

• What are the arguments in favor of this government regulation?
  

  Hint: Who might be harmed without the regulation?
  How might they be harmed?

• What are the arguments against this government regulation?
  

  Hint: Who might be harmed by the regulation?
  How might they be harmed?

• If you had to decide whether or not to pass this law or regulation, what would you decide to do? Why?

Local Government in North Carolina, Second Edition - Chapter 8, Making Government Work.
Copyright © 2003 by Gordon P. Whitaker and the North Carolina City and County Management Association.