CANDIDATE ATTRACTION TO THE POLITICIZED COUNCILMANIC OFFICE: A NOTE ON NEW ORLEANS.

The article presents data gathered in a large central city, New Orleans, Louisiana and identify a more politicized conception of the councilmanic office and a more politically experienced and ambitious type of candidate pursuing the office than previous studies of small suburban municipalities which have described the office as "nonpolitical" and occupied by amateur or citizen-politicians. Many studies have suspected a different councilmanic role in different systemic settings, especially large central cities, the limited data on councils within such cities have been quite consistent with that nonpolitical characterization. The paper provides a further diversification of research settings, one that contains a number of systemic differences from those previously studied. New Orleans is not only a large central city, but also one that possesses a more politicized, unreformed set of structural characteristics. It also provides for its councilmanic incumbents quite well, and has seen its former councilmen attain impressive political advancement.