Społeczność lokalna i jej problemy w opinii liderów samorządowych

LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS a basic organizational form of political and social life consisting of three elements: the particular territory, the community that lives there and the authorites elected in general and democratic elections. Inhabitants of a particular local government unit constitute the local community being an example of constantly developing self-organizational processes among local society. Each local community is, in the eyes of the law, included in the administrative division of a country. Executive government in units of local government is in hands of local authorities chosen in general and direct elections. Commune administrators, mayors, or presidents (in large urban communities) as well as county council members are predominantly leaders of local political parties present on the political stage. The main purpose of this article is to present the opinions of local self-government leaders of the commune and county level on the major problems concerning the condition and perspectives of local governments in Poland in general. The local authorites’ suggestions and opinions, identified by the conducted survey, allowed the author to draw some conclusions and form generalizations. The observed phenomena presented in this article could provide the foundation for a deeper reflection upon the condition and quality of the political life in Polish local selfgovernment. The research of local community issues constitutes an essential part of politics as a branch of knowledge. The above article is an analysis of local communities functioning, on the example of the Bełchatów Commune and County, in the light of activities taken by the self-governing authorites.