Board of Control (municipal government)
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In municipal government, a Board of Control, or Board of Estimate, is an executive body that usually deals with financial and administrative matters. The idea is that a small body of four or five people is better able to make certain decisions than a large, unwieldy city council. Boards of Control were introduced in many North American municipalities in the early 20th century as a product of the municipal reform movement. They proved unpopular with many as they tended to centralize power in a small body while disempowering city councils.
Boards of Control typically consist of the mayor and several Controllers who are elected on a citywide basis as opposed to aldermen who were elected on a ward basis.
From the 1897 Charter, New York City had the New York City Board of Estimate, which had similar functions starting with the amalgamation of Metropolitan New York in 1898. The members included the Mayor, Borough Presidents, and other city-wide officials. It was given additional powers in 1937.
The Boards were criticized as undemocratic. Boards of Control tended to be less representative of the diverse opinions and communities, with majority views among the population being overrepresented. As well, since they were elected by a larger electorate running for a seat on the Board of Control would be prohibitively expensive for many municipal politicians, resulting in wealthier politicians being more likely to run for the body. Lastly, Boards of Control tended to meet in closed sessions (in camera) as opposed to open sessions in the manner of city councils, making them less accountable to the public.
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