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Manager type of government has' increased, and not decreased, as was stated by one person at the last public hearing. I don't believe that one can take a few isolated disgruntled cases and view that as a trend. I have statistics and charts to support these findings. We also can't look at Hawaii as a normal County because the State allows us but one City, the City and County of Honolulu. Our island is actually run like a City with rural and urban areas. There are 6,832 local governments in the United States with populations over 2,500. Out of the total, 48.3% operate under the Council -Manager government. It is the fastest growing form of government in the United States, outpacing its competitor, the Mayor - Council form. There are 2,988 Mayor -Council governments, 43.7% of the total types of communities. Again, those over the population of 2,500. The other forms of government are commission, town meeting and representative town meeting, making up only 8%. During the past 16 years, an average of 63 U.S. communities per year have adopted the Council Management form. In working with your parameters in the proposal, regardless, by having a Managing Director, even with a Mayor, for him to be effective, the Charter amendments must stress that the Manager needs to be granted enough authority that he or she can truly manage the operation independent of day-to-day interference and oversight by the elected official. The manager must be selected based on qualifications and experiences that are defined in the Charter. This avoids the appointment of a patronage position. You do propose hiring the Managing Director by the Mayor with the approval of the County Council. To be consistent, you must have the firing of the Managing Director by the Mayor with the approval, or confirmation, of the County Council. A manager whose fate lies in the hands of one elected official, i.e. the Mayor, looks to that one person to set the agenda regardless of who appointed him. The manager must have the authority to develop and administer the budget. Final approval will, of course, be up to the elected officials but the initial development should be done by the professional. The manager should have the authority to select and terminate most of the Department Directors, which he would hire based on qualifications and experience. There should be language in the Charter that states that all employees work under the direction of the manager, via the Department Directors, and also that states that except for the purpose of inquiry, the Mayor and Council should deal directly with the manager and not with his subordinates. Again, this establishes a clear line of authority, enhances the professionalism of employees and reduces personal patronage. The manager also should actively participate in the development of policy that is approved by the elected officials. These are key components of a professional management position regardless of a strong Mayor or a Council -Manager form of government. 25