Blog 15a [Make Up]

 When reading about the different types of governments found you see the benefits, and downsides to each kind of government. Luckily I am working for the county of Santa Clara District 3, and before that worked on the campaign for the seat. Therefore, I am very comfortable explaining the basic functions of Santa Clara County, and counties as a whole. While the county does the important work of health care and hospitals, pollution control, mass transit, industrial development, social services, and consumer protection to name a few. The city that I live in just changed its mayoral system, and election system completely. In Sunnyvale, we historically had At-Large City Council elections. Which meant someone ran for city council, for all of Sunnyvale. Which led to successful community members from the wealthier areas to usually run and then win the seats. These elected council members then voted for a 2 year mayor internally, creating an indirectly elected mayor. The office of mayor was a weak mayor with the power of the council determining the agenda and policy. Further, Sunnyvale has taken steps to further empower the City manager, vs the council or mayor.

Now Sunnyvale is separated into districts, with each district receiving one city councilmember. This helps address issues in the less wealthy parts of town, that previously did not have a representative. Furthermore it reduces the scope of each election, and allows the candidates to campaign directly to a smaller pool of constituents. We also now directly elect a mayor, who has some expanded powers, but still is not a strong mayor. While time will tell if the new system is the correct system, but the results of the last election have made it clear, the city council will be more diverse (racially, gender, and politically) as a result.


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