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Sustainability has become a popular concept influencing the work of community and economic development officials in city governments. However, the term sustainability lacks conceptual clarity, and a variety of programs could advance sustainability goals. Given this problem, this study asks, What does sustainability mean to city economic development officials? Q-methodology is used to identify which aspects of sustainability are most important to a sample of city officials in the San Francisco Bay Area. Three patterns of importance were identified, exhibiting emphases on urban design, traditional economic development, and civic engagement. Understanding the multiple meanings of sustainability for local government officials will be critical as city officials seek to advance this new priority for local governments and as scholars evaluate the implementation of urban sustainability programs.

Local government managers are described as key participants in the development of interlocal cooperation, but the interests of city councils in this process have gone largely unstudied. Here, the author addresses the theoretical importance of council‐manager relations in interlocal public service cooperation. Three propositions identify areas of shared council‐manager responsibility. Evidence from in‐depth interviews with city council members is used to assess each proposition. While interlocal partnership has been described as a managerial activity, council members take an interest in network development and agreement assessment. Managers, on the other hand, give greater attention to public participation and education. The evidence refines assumptions about council‐manager roles in the formation of cooperative agreements, with important implications for local government management.

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Although uncompetitive races for the House of Representatives produce formidable challenges to long-held democratic ideals regarding popular control and meaningful citizen involvement, little is known regarding the significance of variance in district-level competitiveness for the perceptions and behaviors of voters. Do citizens know that the outcomes of most U.S. House elections are foregone conclusions? Does the actual political climate of the district influence citizens' perceptions regarding electoral competitiveness, and, ultimately, the decision to vote? Does campaign activity influence citizens' perceptions? Do these various perceptions and behaviors hinge in part on the citizen's level of political knowledge? These questions are addressed through analysis of data from a study that oversamples citizens located in competitive House districts during the 2002 midterm election.