Mayor and Commission Role-Playing
Voters in the city of Albuquerque are familiar with the Mayor/ Council form of government, which sets up a "separation of powers." Its major feature is that the legislative body, the city council, operates separately from the executive branch administered by an elected mayor. Voters in the unincorporated areas of Bernalillo County are familiar with the traditional Commission/Manager or "unified" form, in which a five-member districted county commission serves as the governing body and hires a county manager to perform executive functions. Under this system, the manager is accountable to the commission.
The unification charter commission writing a new charter for unifying the city and county governments will recommend the type of government they think is best. The fundamental decision the people of Albuquerque-Bernalillo County must make if they decide to merge is choosing between a Mayor/ Council and Commission/ Manager form of government. The exercise below will give students experience in how each form of government works.
First step:
The entire class selects a current topic of interest to them currently being debated or proposed by the city or county.
Examples:
Exercise 1: Competition – the Mayor/ Council System
1. Divide the class into two separate groups:
Group 1: The Mayor and key department heads related to the selected topic. Have the mayor select the department heads.
Group 2: The 9-member City Council, each representing a district of the city
Tell the two groups that the goal is to see which group can come up with the best idea for solving the problem. The class will vote on the winner and the winning group will get a prize.
Rules: The groups must sit separately and communicate only through writing. When one group is talking, the other group will leave the room.
2. Have the Mayor propose legislation on the topic
3. Have the Council debate and discuss the Mayor's proposal, come up with other ideas if they want, and vote on the legislation.
4. Have the mayor decide whether to approve the Council's idea or veto the Council's proposal and propose something else.
The entire class will vote on whether the mayor or council had the best idea in solving the community problem.
Exercise 2: Collaboration – the Commission/ Manager System
1. Select one group of 10 students, one playing the role of the mayor, the others of 9 Commissioners each representing a district of the city.
Tell the students that the goal is to produce the best idea to solve the problem.
Rules: The mayor will chair the commission and call on members. Anyone may propose legislation on the topic. The group sits together and shares information and discussion.
2. Have the mayor and commission debate and discuss the proposal together and add whatever ideas they would like.
3. Come to agreement on the legislation through voting.
Class Discussion and Evaluation : What did you learn about competition or collaboration as effective ways of addressing community problems? Which form of government would you recommend?