This is a reprint of a 1999 handbook in which Kemp, a former chief executive officer of several city governments, offers an overview of the various forms of government below the state level: counties, cities, townships, municipalities, boroughs, and school districts. Coverage encompasses traditional forms, such as mayor-council models, as well as such new entities as residential community associations and regional government structures. Forty-five essays, by academics and policy makers in political science and public administration, consider urban and rural issues such as revenue, privatization, strategic planning, suburbanization, and city- county consolidation. Kemp has written other books on cities. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)