Abstract
Purpose. The purposes of this study were: (1) to determine what leadership roles and activities California mayors in council-manager cities devote to the various roles and activities they perform and the effectiveness with which they perform these roles, and (2) to determine if the dependant variables of effort devoted to their roles and effectiveness in performing these roles differs according to selected demographic variables, based on the perceptions of their city managers. Methodology. This study was descriptive in nature. City managers of 381 cities utilizing the council-manager form of government were surveyed and requested to evaluate the performance of their current mayor. A questionnaire that contained selected demographic data and ten mayoral leadership roles developed by James Svara were mailed to them. Two hundred and eighty questionnaires were returned, a response rate of 73 percent. Nonparametric statistics (Kruskal-Wallis test and chi-square) were used to determine if significant differences existed between selected demographic variables and the ratings of city managers on their mayor's leadership role, efforts, and effectiveness. Mean scores of the variables that showed significant differences were also determined. Findings and conclusions. The demographic data revealed, for example, that the average age of mayors was forty-five years, and that a large number (70 percent) of them were college educated. Less than one-half (22 percent) were retired. The majority of mayors (67 percent) were elected by council members. Mayors in California were perceived by their city managers to expend most effort in traditional roles, and to expend least effort in policy and organizing roles. They were also perceived to be most effective in performing traditional roles, and least effective in policy and organizing roles. Finally, the demographic variables that tended to differentiate ratings on effort and effectiveness were years in office, city population size, and level of education. Recommendations. The literature on the leadership roles of mayors in council-manager government revealed that research in this area is scant. Therefore, it is recommended that: (1) a longitudinal study should be conducted to determine the role changes of mayors over time, using city managers' perceptions; (2) mayors' perceptions of their roles compared with those of city managers should be studied; (3) a comparison of the roles of California mayors to the roles of those in other states in the nation could be researched; (4) a study which includes the gathering of data concerning the leadership roles of mayors, based on the perceptions of other players in the governing process such as department heads, city council members, and citizen boards could be conducted; and (5) a replication of this study using other methods of analysis which would identify differences among variables that showed significant differences could be done.