Toward the Civil City Council

This article examines the functions of city councils in governing the American municipality. It presents a notion of the ‘Civil City Council that rests on five integrative leadership skills that incorporate particular public-regarding behaviors into municipal governance. The article argues that city councils should become the Civil City Council to govern effectively under modern conditions. To do this, the Civil City Council will empower citizens in broadly constituted interpretive communities in civil society. The article shows how the Civil City Council can sustain the political future of citizens and cities.