William Penn intended to build a city that encouraged private business and provided all citizens with equal opportunities for success. From the colonial period to the mid-19th century, municipal government was kept to a minimum, and most civic issues such as street repair or public health were handled locally by small public commissions, usually dominated by the city's wealthy merchants. The city's rapid expansion and industrialization in the 19th century, however, led to concern that a stronger and more efficient form of city government was needed. Public services, including schools and law enforcement, could not keep pace with the growth. A reform charter adopted in February 1854 brought all the boroughs of the County of Philadelphia within the City of Philadelphia, effectively uniting these two levels of government.
Despite this consolidation, individual city and county governments persisted, and it was not until 1951 that a new initiative called the Home Rule Charter fully merged city and county offices. That same 1951 charter gave Philadelphia a more powerful mayor and restructured the city council form of government. The mayor's principal assistant is the managing director, who appoints the commissioners to head the various city departments. The city council is made up of 17 members, of whom 10 are elected from specific districts and 7 are elected at large.
