Nlc Says City Councils Grow Older, More Diverse, But Remain Mostly Male

Mirroring the nation’s shifting demographics, city councils have grown older and more ethnically diverse over the past two decades, but the proportion of women serving on city council (about one in three) has stayed roughly the same, according to a survey of 664 council members released by the National League of Cities.

The groups that influence city councils most are neighborhoods, ranking well above all others, followed by business interests and older Americans.

And while council members split fairly evenly as Democrats, Republicans, or independents, nearly three out of four describe themselves as conservative or middle of the road; one in four chooses a liberal label.

Conflict with other council members is the most common frustration, cited by nearly half of the surveyed officials, a significant increase over a similar study two decades ago.

“Cities are the frontlines of democracy and we prize the richness of perspective that diversity provides on our city councils,” said John DeStefano, Jr. president of the National League of Cities and mayor of New Haven, Conn. “We’d like to see more diversity, including more women, minorities, and younger Americans.”

The study was conducted for the National League of Cities by James H. Svara, professor of political science and public administration at North Carolina University. Svara sent the survey to 2,000 elected officials from cities with populations greater than 25,000 in March, 2001. The overall response was 670, or 32.7 percent.

DIVERSITY According to the survey, minority representation on city councils has nearly doubled, increasing to 13 percent, from 7 percent in 1979. The most dramatic increase was in Latino council members, which has risen to 3 percent, up from 1 percent in 1979.

In larger cities (greater than 200,000 in population), the proportion of minorities increased to 33 percent, up from 16 percent in 1979.

However, the proportion of women stayed roughly the same-28 percent, compared to 32 percent in 1979. Women are more likely to be found on city councils in larger cities where they make up 36 percent of members.

“Women represent over half of the U.S. population and should represent us in greater numbers at the local level, where the decisions made have such a direct impact on our daily family lives,” commented Karen J. Anderson, mayor of Minnetonka, Minn. and immediate past president of the National League of Cities.

“It’s so important that women’s voices are heard on our city and town councils and that women are seen in policy making roles in our communities.”

City councils got decidedly older in the past two decades. Today, 34 percent of members are age 60 or older, compared to just 14 percent in 1979. At the same time, city councils in America have lost younger members. Today, only 9 percent of city council members are under 40 compared to 26 percent in 1979. About 57 percent of city council members are age 40 to 59, virtually unchanged from 1979.

POLITICAL LABELS Nearly half of city council members today describe themselves as conservative, one in four as middle of the road, and 28 percent as liberal, although in larger cities, liberals have a plurality (39 percent). In terms of party affiliation, city council members split fairly evening among Democrats (38 percent), Republicans (31 percent), and independents (31 percent). In larger cities, 52 percent identify as Democrats, 19 percent Republicans, and 30 percent independents.

INFLUENCE ON DECISIONS What groups have the greatest influence on city council decisions? At the top of the list is neighborhoods, cited by 54 percent as having a great deal of influence over city council decisions.

Next in clout is business interests, cited by 28 percent, followed by older Americans (24 percent), real estate and development interests (16 percent in all cities but 29 percent in the larger cities), racial minorities (14 percent in all cities but 31 percent in larger cities), municipal employees (14 percent), women (13 percent), environmentalists (10 percent), ethnic groups (9 percent), labor unions (8 percent of all cities but 24 percent of larger cities), and finally political parties (7 percent of all cities but 19 percent of larger cities).

FRUSTRATIONS After two decades, the most common single frustration among city council members is still conflict with other council members, cited by 43 percent, (up from 33 percent in 1979).

The next most frequently cited frustrations are the type of media coverage they receive, mentioned by 32 percent (up from 19 percent in 1979), and pressure from interest groups, cited by 31 percent (33 percent in 1979). Other common frustrations are time away from family and low salary, both mentioned by 27 percent of the surveyed council members.

The National League of Cities is the largest national organization for American cities and towns. NLC serves as a resource and advocate for 18,000 cities, towns and villages of all sizes, from New York City to Bee Cave, Texas, which collectively serve 225 million people.