Power, Politics, and Budgeting
Don’t Hate the Player, Don’t Hate the Game, Change the Game
Author: Shayne C. Kavanagh is the senior manager of research for Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).
Finance officers may wince when they hear the words power, politics, and budgeting in the same sentence. We suggest that it is not “power” or “politics” alone but the combination that causes the wince. “Power politics” is the use of power for selfish gain at the expense of the common interest and community interest. This conflicts with the fundamental purpose of local government budgeting, which is to find the best way to use collective community resources, like taxes, to invest in goods and services that benefit the community, including infrastructure, technology, public safety, and health, among others.
We contend that finance officers must not just survive but thrive in a political environment. We will demonstrate the finance officer’s sources of power and how that power can be exercised in ways consistent with GFOA’s Code of Ethics. We will also show how that power can be used to “change the game” and redirect the energy of power politics to more constructive ends.
Let’s begin by defining power politics.