One might suspect that political stability might cause an undesirable impact on the city's administrative governance. Yet, this was not the case in East Sea Beaches. Several checks and balance mechanisms were promoted in order to help energize the municipal bureaucracy of 971 FTE staff (1,580 city employees and 391 school personnel, as of July 2007). For instance, the city executives tried hard to engage the public in municipal affairs. Citizen participation via town hall and neighborhood meetings was widely encouraged in order to help the city executives prioritize constituency needs. Media and local business groups in East Sea Beaches were also energetic and influential in monitoring the work of the municipal government. They regularly monitored the operations of the City and were ready to call the City mayor if anything went wrong or was suspicious. Finally, the City Council played a tough role in examining the municipal operations and keeping the City's fiscal house in order. Furthermore, audit mechanisms worked quite effectively in improving the city operations and finances.