The Hidden Face of Local Power

Appointed Boards and the Limits of Democracy

Mirya R. Holman

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English

Temple University Press,U.S.
27 June 2025

Political structures: democracy; Regional government; Urban & municipal planning

The Hidden Face of Local Power explicates the purpose, role, and consequences of appointed boards in U.S. cities. Mirya Holman finds that cities create strong boards that generate policy, consolidate power, and defend the interests of businesses and wealthy and white residents. In contrast, weak boards pacify agitation from marginalized groups to give the appearance of inclusivity, democratic deliberation, and redistributional policymaking. Cities preserve this strong board/weak board dichotomy through policymaking power, institutional design, and by controlling who serves on the boards.

The Hidden Face of Local Power examines the role of boards in the development of urban political institutions, the allocation of power in local politics, and the persistence of inequality. Holman enhances our understanding of how political institutions have contributed to racism and their impact on how people use and live in urban spaces. In her shrewd analysis of the creation and use of boards as political institutions, Holman proves that neither weak nor strong boards achieve the goal they are advertised to achieve. In doing so, she provides a new view of the failures of local democracy along with ideas for improvement.

By: Mirya R. Holman
Imprint: Temple University Press,U.S.
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781439926710
ISBN 10: 1439926719
Pages: 270
Publication Date: 27 June 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Mirya R. Holman is Associate Professor in the Hobby School of Public Affairs at the University of Houston and author of Women in Politics in the American City (Temple) and coauthor of The Power of the Badge: Sheriffs and Inequality in the United States.