| Kalamazoo’s
City Government
In 1836, the Village of Bronson was renamed
Kalamazoo. Seven years later it was incorporated as a village. In
1884, the Village of Kalamazoo adopted a charter and was incorporated
as a city. The city instated a commission-manager form of government
in 1918, one of the first cities in the United States to adopt this
style of local government.
Under the city charter, the people of Kalamazoo
elect seven city commission members: the mayor, the vice-mayor,
and five commissioners. The commissioner who receives the highest
number of votes becomes the mayor; the second highest vote-getter
becomes the vice mayor.
Under the current commission-manager form of government, the commission’s
policies are administered by the city manager, who is appointed
by and reports to the city commission. The city manager is responsible
for the administrative affairs of the city, carrying out policies
formulated by the city commission, and preparing the city’s
annual budget.
Kalamazoo
Village Presidents, 1843-1883
Kalamazoo Mayors, 1884-present
Kalamazoo City Managers
Corporation Hall/City Hall
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For further information, we suggest
these sources:
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| |
History Room Subject File: Kalamazoo (Govt.)
and its subdivisions. |
H 353.9774 L67
1984 |
Lewis, Ferris E. State and Local Government
in Michigan, Hillsdale Educational Publishers, 1984, especially
the chapters on village and city government. |
City Doc
CH 5C48-1998 |
Charter of the City of Kalamazoo, as amended
November 3, 1998 |
| Web page |
City of Kalamazoo web site: http://www.kalamazoocity.org/
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Written by Kris Rzepczynski, Kalamazoo Public
Library Staff, 1998. Last updated August 2005.
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