Contest for Dominance in the
Central City
New Haven
Atlanta
Who Governs In The Age Of Urban
Restructuring?
 Elite Model
 Hunter – Atlanta
 Pluralist Model
 Dahl – New Haven
 Conflict between the two models led to disaray in
urban political theory
Regime Theory Brings Order
 Clarence Stone: again Atlanta
 Addresses considerations that led to disarray
 Role of business and entrepreneurs
 Importance of non-decisions
 Variety of influence relationships exist and structure
power in the city
Different Regimes for
Different Cities
 Entrepreneurial
or corporate
regime
 Growth
 Industrialization
 Attract those
with money to
spend
Different Regimes for
Different Cities
 Progressive regime
 Participation emphasized
 Safety net issues at forefront
The Emergence of Functional
Fiefdoms in Metropolitan
Areas
 Global Capital submerges local
interests
 Growth Machine Theory empowers
technocrats
 Metropolitan area viewed as having a
unitary interest
 Protect regional exports
 Attract new investment capital
 New York City Port Authority – best
known and most powerful
Commissioners of the New York Port Authority
- Demographs
Kenneth J. Ringler Jr.
Executive Director
that fall under the
port authority’s control have no
direct influence on the power and
policies implemented by the Port
Authority, but they do have a
indirect voice thorough their
respective Governors.
Anthony R. Coscia
Chairman
Christine A. Ferer
Commissioner, New York
Michael J. Chasanoff
Commissioner, New York
Charles A. Gargano
Vice Chairman
Bruce A. Blakeman
Commissioner, New York
More Commissioners of the New York Port Authority
Angelo J. Genova, Esq.
Commissioner, New Jersey
Raymond M. Pocino
Commissioner, New Jersey
Henry R. Silverman
Commissioner, New York
David S. Steiner
Commissioner, New Jersey
David S. Mack
Commissioner, New York
Anthony J. Sartor
Commissioner, New Jersey
Jack G. Sinagra
Commissioner, New Jersey
List of Facilities Managed by the Port
Authority
 Bridges and Tunnels- Every river crossing between the city of New York and
the state of New Jersey is operated by the PANYNJ. Together they carry
more than 250 million vehicular crossings each year.

Airports-The three major airports – Newark, John F Kennedy and La
Guardia – handled 34.2, 32.8 and 25.5 million passengers respectively in 2000,
making New York a global air transport hub ranking alongside London and
Tokyo
 Maritime terminals-Seven public terminals, most of them located along the
New York Harbor and Newark Bay, are managed by the PANYNJ, including
Port Elizabeth, Port Newark, Howland Hook, Red Hook and others
The Strong Mayor As An
Antidote for Functional
Fiefdoms I
 Preconditions for strong mayoral leadership
 Resources to launch social program
 City jurisdiction in vital programs (housing, education,
redevelopment, job training)
 Mayoral jurisdiction, within city, over above
 Salary that allows for full time mayor
The Strong Mayor As An Antidote
for Functional Fiefdoms II
 Strong staff support for the
mayor for tasks such as
policy planning, speech
writing, intergovernmental relations
 Ready vehicles of publicity
 Politically oriented groups
that mayor can organize
Styles of Mayoral Leadership
 Ceremonial Mayor
 Caretaker Mayor
 Program Entrepreneur
 Crusader Mayor
 Minority Mayor
Responsiveness and Local
Executive Leadership
 Critical Question :
 To whom is the mayor responsive?
 Or not responsive
Non Responsiveness: to
whom? - Minorities??
 African-American middle class - by engaging in
community organization, direct political action and
electoral have been able to get into the governing
coalitions
 Similar pattern with Hispanics
Non Responsiveness: to
whom? - Underclass
 African-American mayors, despite increasing
public sector employment, have yet to make
substantial improvements in living conditions of
underclass
 Underclass of Hispanics and Asian Americans
remain part of the underpriviledged strata
Non Responsiveness:
Overriding Cause
 Unorganized individuals
 Regardless of race or ethnicity
 Seldom have their demands attended to by city
governments.
Decentralization: An Antidote For
Non Responsiveness?
 Community Action and Model Cities Program (co-
opted by city hall)
 Community Control
 Decentralization of education
 Little city halls
 Neighborhood Advisory councils
Despite disappointments
decentralization has made it easier
for citizen groups to demand new
meaningful inputs into government
decisions.
Bias In Contemporary Urban U.S.
Political Structures: Summary
 Individual citizens much less influential than institutions
 Individual institutions often appear as functional fiefdoms
 Emergence of functional fiefdoms tends to inhibit political
leadership
 Bias against unorganized felt most heavily by poor and racial
minorities