Why might someone have less authority in a municipal role?

In a municipal role, having less authority can often stem from the organizational structure where individuals are direct reports to elected officials. This setup can limit decision-making power, as the elected official typically retains significant authority over the final outcomes and strategic direction of the department or agency.

When a person is a direct report to an elected official, their actions and decisions may require approval from that official. As a result, even if they possess expertise in their field, their autonomy in executing decisions can be restricted. This chain of command is common in public governance, where the accountability of elected officials to constituents influences how much authority their staff can exercise independently.

The other options, while offering various perspectives on authority, do not capture the nuanced relationship between municipal employees and elected officials. For instance, decisions made solely by the mayor might imply a lack of delegation rather than a direct cause of reduced authority, and concepts like budget constraints or perceived criticality of roles may influence decision-making but do not fundamentally explain the structural dynamics of authority within a municipality.