Civics 101

About the Book

Citizens generally have a desire to learn more about America's cities, including their own community's municipal government. This is true because people spend most of their lives living, working, and paying municipal taxes in cities. Many citizens, however, know more about their state and federal government, than they do about the city in which they live. This is primarily due to the extensive media coverage given to topical issues and news events, plus what they, as students, were never taught in high school civics classes many years ago. City government is the level of government of which citizens should be most informed. After all, the decisions made by the local elected public officials—mayors and city council members—have a more direct and greater impact on their lives than do those decisions made by elected leaders in higher levels of government. This thirst for knowledge is made apparent when speaking before community groups and professional organizations about how much municipal government works. Most citizens want to know more about the operations of their local government, including the roles of their elected officials, advisory bodies, chief administrative officer, and the various functional managers that make government work.

About the Author

Roger L. Kemp has worked in city government for a quarter century, serving nearly two decades of this time as a city manager. He has served in cities in California, New Jersey and Connecticut. He holds a Ph.D. degree in public administration from Golden Gate University, and is a graduate of the Program for Senior Executive in State and Local Government at Harvard University. Dr. Kemp has written, edited, and has been contributing editor of over 50 books dealing with numerous aspects of local government. One of his most significant books, Managing America’s Cities: A Handbook for Local Government Productivity, was published in 1998 - - many years ago. Additionally, he has had over 500 articles published in leading professional journals throughout the world. During his career, Dr. Kemp has served a dozen mayors, several city councils, and scores of elected officials. His experience was gained from many years of public service in politically, economically, socially, and racially diverse communities on both the East and West Coasts. He is frequently called upon to speak about cities and how they work before various community groups and professional organizations, both nationally and internationally. Roger can be reached by telephone (203-686-0281) or by e-mail (rogerlkemp46@gmail.com). He is available for speaking and consulting assignments. His personal website shows additional information about his background (http://www.rogerkemp.org/).