This book looks at how appointed managers enter, experience, and leave their jobs in Western Local Government. It is a result of a comparative, multi-method research project describing local government CEOs in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the UK, and the US. The book focuses on the bond between individual CEOs and the local government as an organization. The key questions are: What is the structural framework around the job as a CEO? How are CEOs hired? What are the necessary qualifications? Who are the CEOs? What is a typical career pattern? What are the values and work goals of CEOs? Why do CEOs leave their jobs? Common patterns, recent changes, and national differences are described in relation to these themes.