William Penn intended to build a city that encouraged private business and provided all citizens with equal opportunities for success.
From the colonial period to the mid-19th century, municipal government was kept to a minimum, and most civic issues such as street repair or public health were handled locally by small public commissions, usually dominated by the city’s wealthy merchants.
The city’s rapid expansion and industrialization in the 19th century, however, led to concern that a stronger and more efficient form of city government was needed.
Public services, including schools and law enforcement, could not keep pace with the growth.
A reform charter adopted in February 1854 brought all the boroughs of the County of Philadelphia within the City of Philadelphia, effectively uniting these two levels of government.
Despite this consolidation, individual city and county governments persisted, and it was not until 1951 that a new initiative called the Home Rule Charter fully merged city and county offices.
That same 1951 charter gave Philadelphia a more powerful mayor and restructured the city council form of government.
The mayor’s principal assistant is the managing director, who appoints the commissioners to head the various city departments.
The city council is made up of 17 members, of whom 10 are elected from specific districts and 7 are elected at large.
Since the 1970s, however, the mayor’s authority, granted by the 1951 charter, has weakened.
Some of the city government’s responsibilities have been taken over by increasingly important grassroots political groups like the Neighborhood Action Councils, and semipublic bodies such as the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation.
Philadelphia's elected mayor serves a four-year term and may be reelected once; council members are elected at the same time and also have four-year terms.
Efforts at regional planning and cooperation date from the 1920s, but the success of regional governance initiatives has been modest.
By interstate compact, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in 1965 created the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) to coordinate federally funded projects. The DVRPC includes the eight Pennsylvania and New Jersey counties within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Statistical Area, plus Mercer County, New Jersey.
Another regional body, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), operates the regional transportation system.
The Delaware River Port Authority oversees a sizeable interstate toll-bridge system, and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority manages the area's extensive port facilities.
From the colonial period to the mid-19th century, municipal government was kept to a minimum, and most civic issues such as street repair or public health were handled locally by small public commissions, usually dominated by the city’s wealthy merchants.
The city’s rapid expansion and industrialization in the 19th century, however, led to concern that a stronger and more efficient form of city government was needed.
Public services, including schools and law enforcement, could not keep pace with the growth.
A reform charter adopted in February 1854 brought all the boroughs of the County of Philadelphia within the City of Philadelphia, effectively uniting these two levels of government.
Despite this consolidation, individual city and county governments persisted, and it was not until 1951 that a new initiative called the Home Rule Charter fully merged city and county offices.
That same 1951 charter gave Philadelphia a more powerful mayor and restructured the city council form of government.
The mayor’s principal assistant is the managing director, who appoints the commissioners to head the various city departments.
The city council is made up of 17 members, of whom 10 are elected from specific districts and 7 are elected at large.
Since the 1970s, however, the mayor’s authority, granted by the 1951 charter, has weakened.
Some of the city government’s responsibilities have been taken over by increasingly important grassroots political groups like the Neighborhood Action Councils, and semipublic bodies such as the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation.
Philadelphia's elected mayor serves a four-year term and may be reelected once; council members are elected at the same time and also have four-year terms.
Efforts at regional planning and cooperation date from the 1920s, but the success of regional governance initiatives has been modest.
By interstate compact, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in 1965 created the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) to coordinate federally funded projects. The DVRPC includes the eight Pennsylvania and New Jersey counties within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Statistical Area, plus Mercer County, New Jersey.
Another regional body, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), operates the regional transportation system.
The Delaware River Port Authority oversees a sizeable interstate toll-bridge system, and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority manages the area's extensive port facilities.
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