The Changing Role of Local Advocacy in National Politics

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Local government interest groups face their most difficult period since their founding in the '20s and '30s, as a result of federal resource reductions to cities and political changes in Washington that threaten their ability to influence national public policy decisions. This article provides a brief history of the rise and development of three major local interest groups (the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities and the National Association of Counties). It then reviews the changing dynamics at the national level since the mid-1970s which have led these groups to lose access to key decision makers at the national level and face major disruption in their abilities to maintain effective local advocacy in Washington. Finally, the current options facing local interest groups in their efforts to maintain viable organizations in the 1980s are discussed.