Urban Minority Administrators: Politics, Policy, and Style

(Hardback)

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Although considerable attention has been focused on the selection of minority candidates for political office, the impact of the increasing numbers of high-level minority administrative appointees has not been systematically examined. As the only work that reflects developments occurring in the 1980s, this volume presents the views of minority administrators together with analyses by three prominent scholars in the field. Six of the chapters are contributed by black, Hispanic, and Native American administrators who exercise substantial policy-making and decision-making authority. The group, which includes two women, consists of two city managers, two police chiefs, a deputy mayor, and the director of a quasi-governmental health organization. The editors' introduction to Chapter 1 provides a framework for analyzing the role of minority administrators and their impact on policy issues in urban settings. In the next chapter, the working environment, the constraints, the opportunities, and other factors that affect minority administrators are highlighted. Subsequent chapters explore the ways in which the demands of local governmental systems, traditional role expectations, peer pressures, and the expectations of minority communities influence these administrators' effectiveness and affect their perceptions of their responsibilities. It is clear that minority administrators confront unique pressures and conflicts in governmental systems that have not always been responsive to the concerns of minority groups. Their racial or ethnic loyalty is frequently questioned and applied as a test on critical issues by minority and majority communities alike. The editors conclude the volume with an examination of differences and similarities in the experiences of the contributing authors and attempt to place common issues in a broader context. Blending theoretical and practical perspectives, this volume offers informed, constructive analyses of a broad range of issues of concern to both minorities and the field of public administration. It will be important reading for students, administrators, and academics as well as the political leadership of black, Hispanic, and Native American communities.

Reviews

. . . this work is well worth reading. The case histories and personal statements will fascinate the reader and educate at the same time. This book is appropriate for all public administration specialists to read whether they are students (undergraduate or graduate), practitioners, or academics.-American Review of Public Administration
The problems of minority administrators are unique for the perceived or real influence on policy issues affecting their minority constituencies. Thus they are subjected to peer pressure and role expectations; conflicting demands are made upon them. Their loyalty to their community is always suspected and because of the vehicle--affirmative action--often used to enter the bureaucratic establishment (is controversial and constantly under attack), they are not trusted. Seasoned minority professionals provide in this book information, advise, and their experience on dealing with these unique set of problems. Highly recommended.-LA RED/THE NET
This volume is the product of a 1986 conference sponsored by the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University on Minority Administrators: Perspectives and Problems.' Early chapters examine representative bureaucracy and the potential role conflicts faced by minority administrators. Core chapters are written by minority administrators in large cities: the deputy mayor of Los Angeles, former city manager of San Diego, executive director of the Seattle Indian Health Board, city manager of Tuscon, and the police chiefs of Charleston (South Carolina) and Phoenix. The administrators describe, in narrative form, problem areas in their community, professional responsibilities, administrative philosophy, innovations and successes, community relations, and lessons learned. In the final chapter, Karnig and McClain explore common themes found in the minority administrator narratives. Julian Bond wrote the foreward. The book presents useful insights and observations in an area that to date has received little scholarly attention. For upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty.-Choice
." . . this work is well worth reading. The case histories and personal statements will fascinate the reader and educate at the same time. This book is appropriate for all public administration specialists to read whether they are students (undergraduate or graduate), practitioners, or academics."-American Review of Public Administration
"The problems of minority administrators are unique for the perceived or real influence on policy issues affecting their minority constituencies. Thus they are subjected to peer pressure and role expectations; conflicting demands are made upon them. Their loyalty to their community is always suspected and because of the vehicle--affirmative action--often used to enter the bureaucratic establishment (is controversial and constantly under attack), they are not trusted. Seasoned minority professionals provide in this book information, advise, and their experience on dealing with these unique set of problems. Highly recommended."-LA RED/THE NET
"This volume is the product of a 1986 conference sponsored by the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University on Minority Administrators: Perspectives and Problems.' Early chapters examine representative bureaucracy and the potential role conflicts faced by minority administrators. Core chapters are written by minority administrators in large cities: the deputy mayor of Los Angeles, former city manager of San Diego, executive director of the Seattle Indian Health Board, city manager of Tuscon, and the police chiefs of Charleston (South Carolina) and Phoenix. The administrators describe, in narrative form, problem areas in their community, professional responsibilities, administrative philosophy, innovations and successes, community relations, and lessons learned. In the final chapter, Karnig and McClain explore common themes found in the minority administrator narratives. Julian Bond wrote the foreward. The book presents useful insights and observations in an area that to date has received little scholarly attention. For upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty."-Choice

Author Bio

ALBERT K. KARNIG is Professor of Political Science and Provost at the University of Wyoming. He is the author of Black Representation and Public Policy Impact in American Cities as well as numerous articles on urban politics and related subjects. PAULA D. McCLAIN is Associate Professor in the school of Public Affairs, Arizona State University. She is the author of The Political Behavior of Afro-Canadians and her articles have appeared in Policy Studies Review, Law and Policy Quarterly, Ethnicity, and other scholarly publications.