The San Jose Mercury News takes an in-depth look at how the job of city manager has changed in the wake of the resignation of San Jose City Manager Ed Shikada .
As the Merc points out, Shikada resigned “shortly before the ax was to fall on his head,” but the paper says the change of top administrator “underscores a profound change in the way City Hall works.
“It's now established wisdom in San Jose that every mayor wants, even deserves, his or her own city manager, a loyal administrator. But it was not always that way.”
City managers used to set the city agenda in San Jose, through the middle part of the 20th Century. But that was back when San Jose was an agricultural town.
“Even through the 1970s and early 1980s, city managers generally drove the bus. Now they ride along, carrying a bag of tools for the moment the vehicle breaks down,” the paper reported.
The city’s make-up and financial base has changed, and so has its governance.
“As San Jose grew more diverse, ethnic groups demanded their own council members. The growth of the so-called "mini-mayor" system, which fed on a division of political goodies, undermined the central authority of the manager.”
It is an important parable for cities on the verge or in the midst of rapid growth. That growth can change how a city is governed.
You can read the entire story here.