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Why so many mayor-CAO relationships fail

Can we hope for better relationships and, if so, how?

by LONG R
Published in July 2020 - Page 19

Why do chief administrative officers enjoy a solid, functional relationship with some mayors but not others? Is this just the luck of the draw or can CAOs and mayors learn from these circumstances and make these relationships more functional?

Policy-Administrative Dichotomy

Recent research sheds some light on this social phenomenon. For almost 130 years, the structural relationship between mayors and CAOs has been defined by the dichotomy between policy and administration. Thomas Woodrow Wilson, along

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