Chapter 4
Core Democratic Values and Principles that Guide Board Roles
Chapter 4 outlines an overview of values and principles for governing, core democratic values, and core democratic principles.
American local governments may vary in their structures, but they are quite similar in the core democratic values and principles that serve as a moral guidepost for carrying out the board’s five governing roles. Whether a strong mayor, weak mayor, commission, or a council-manager system, participants operate within a rule-of-law system that requires boards to have explicit authority prior to undertaking any specific governing action. If citizens haven’t given the board the authority to act, boards can’t substitute their own judgment for the judgment of the sovereign citizens they serve. In addition, over time the courts and legislative bodies have developed a set of legal principles that shape HOW local governance activity must be conducted. Principles like “notice and comment”, open meetings, freedom of information, protecting the rights of privacy, nondiscriminatory personnel practices, and numerous other requirements discussed in this chapter constrain the exercise of the board’s governing authority. Knowing these principles and values is not only important for keeping boards out of trouble, but, more importantly, they provide for the development of a governing consensus within which strong policy disagreements can be expressed among board members without weakening or undermining the capacity of boards to govern.