This 6 page paper offers a case study of the Ashbury Park, NJ city council. Specifically, the paper addresses one issue that needs to be improved – communication with local citizens. It is not uncommon for local councils to fail to communicate effectively with the city's residents but with today's technology, there is no excuse for not improving this function. The paper provides an introduction to the city, the problem statement, a literature review that addresses some of the issue with this particular council and also comments on local governance and recommendations which are based on successes in another city. Bibliography lists 8 sources.
Name of Research Paper File: MM12_PGashnj.rtf
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with the same title. It is highly recommended that you incorporate ideas from the book in your final paper.] Introduction Prior to the early- to mid-1900s, local governments
were besieged with corruption and graft (Hansell, 2001). By the end of the 1900s, however, "local governments in the United States had become the most trusted level of American government"
(Hansell, 2001, 41). It was a long process and radical changes in the operation of the city governments to bring them to their respected position today (Hansell, 2001). Specifically, it
was the establishment of the council-manager system that was primarily responsible for this change (Hansell, 2001). Asbury Park, New Jersey is a city of nearly 17,000 residents and one that
is growing (Asburypark.net, 2002). Like most cities, the structure of the local government follows the council-manager system (Asburypark.net, 2002). Just over 11 percent of the citys residents hold a college
degree (Asburypark.net, 2002). It is a city rife with poverty, unemployment, and high crime levels. Like many city councils, this one does not always communicate effectively with the people
it serves. A lack of clear communication leads to mistrust. Management literature for both the public and private sectors consistently fosters communication as an imperative. Examples of how this city
council fails to communicate will be illustrated in the literature review. Problem Statement The city council of Ashbury Park, New Jersey fails to communicate effectively with the citizens of
the city. The issue, then, is how can the Ashbury Park city council communicate better with the citizens they serve? Literature Review It is not without problems in the
government. In October 2002, city manager Terrance D. Weldon resigned after being charged with federal extortion crimes (Asburypark.net, 2003). The city then paid Weldon $67,000 for unused vacation days, compensatory