Key Terms
- amendatory veto
- a veto that allows a governor to send a bill back to the legislature with a message requesting a specific amendment
- charter
- a document that provides a framework and detailed account of local government responsibilities and areas of authority
- commission system
- an elected commission that serves as the governing body within a given county
- consecutive term limits
- caps allowing a member of the legislature to serve for only a specified period of time in either the state house or senate and forcing a wait before the member can run again
- council-administrator system
- an elected council that appoints an administrator to oversee the operation of the county government
- council-elected executive system
- a county government in which voters elect both the members of the council and the executive
- council-manager system
- a structure of government in which elected members of the city council appoint a city manager to carry out administrative functions
- delegate legislator
- a legislator who represents the will of those who elected him or her to office and acts in their expressed interest, even when it goes against a personal belief about what is ultimately in the constituency’s best interest
- Dillon’s Rule
- a legal principle that holds state power and actions above those of local governments and declares state governments to be sovereign relative to local governments
- expressed powers
- those powers specifically provided to the Congress and the president in the U.S. Constitution
- formal powers
- those powers a governor may exercise that are specifically outlined in the state constitution or state law
- home rule
- principle that provides local governments some degree of independence from the state government, typically detailed in a charter
- implied powers
- those powers not specifically detailed in the U.S. Constitution but inferred as necessary to achieve the objectives of the national government
- individualistic political culture
- a culture that views the government as a mechanism for addressing issues that matter to individual citizens and for pursuing individual goals
- lifetime ban
- a rule that members can serve only one time in the state legislature for the number of years allotted and may not run again
- line-item veto
- a state governor’s ability to strike out a line or individual portions of a bill while letting the remainder pass into law
- mayor-council system
- a structure of government in which both city council members and the mayor are elected by voters
- moralistic political culture
- a culture that views the government as a means to better society and promote the general welfare
- pardon
- a governor’s action to absolve someone of blame for a crime and secure his or her release from prison
- reduction veto
- a governor’s authority to reduce the amount budgeted in a piece of legislation
- term limits
- rules that restrict the length of time a member can serve in the state legislature
- traditionalistic political culture
- a culture that views the government as necessary to maintaining the existing social order or the status quo
- trustee
- an officeholder who believes he or she was elected to exercise judgment and to know best by virtue of having the time and expertise to study and understand an issue
