User:WaltBren/Sandbox

= Works in Progress =

Local
Manhattan is governed by a city council of five commissioners. Elections are held every other year in odd-numbered years. Three City Commission positions are chosen at each election. The two highest vote recipients receive four-year terms while the third highest vote recipient receives a two year term. Every April, the Commission elects one of its members to serve as Mayor. The Mayor presides over Commission meetings, has full voting rights, as do other Commissioners, but has no veto power. Currently, Mark Hatesohl is serving as the city's mayor, and Tom Phillips, Bruce Snead, Jim Sherow, and Bob Strawn make up the rest of the commissioners. The next elections will be held April 7th, 2009 for the seats of Mark, Tom, and Jim. In the 2007 election citywide election cycle, Jim Sherow won his seat in a coin toss due to a tie.

State
Manhattan is located inside a number of State district boundaries. In the Kansas House of Representatives, Rep. Tom Hawk serves in District 67. District 67 includes portions of south, west, and northern Riley County. Rep. Sydney Carlin is the current representative of Kansas district 66, which includes most of downtown Manhattan, and the northeastern portions of the city. Smaller portions of Manhattan extend into other districts to the south and north. Both representatives are registered democrats and have served multiple terms in the house.

Manhattan is included in the Kansas Senate District 22, and the state senator is Roger Reitz. District 22 includes nearby Junction City and rural Riley County. Mr. Reitz narrowly defeated democratic challenger Rusty Wilson in the 2008 election by a small number of votes. The former District 22 Senator, Lana Oleen, was the Kansas Senate Majority leader before her retirement in 2004.

Economy
Manhattan's economy is almost completely based on governmentally-funded routes. Kansas State University has 23,000 students which support the retail and entertainment venues in the city, whilst also being the town's largest employer. Nearby Fort Riley also brings lots of retail business, although the majority of soldiers live either on-post or in closer Junction City or Ogden.

However, Manhattan does support a small manufacturing base. Industrial and commercial businesses such as GTM Sportswear, Alorica , Auth-Florence Manufacturing , ICE Corpoeration , and Farrar Corperation maintain factories in the city. Some, like GTM and Farrar, have had success in the city- as college towns are known to outlive and sustain economic recessions better than most towns due to their economic base.

The National Bio-Agricultural Defense Facility has been announced it will be coming to Manhattan, a fededal lab that is expected to employ 300 scientific, research related jobs to the community.

Culture (Manhattan)
Culture in the city of Manhattan is largely defined by Kansas State University students. The city is normally full of activity while school is in session. Due to the city's vitality, the city was rated by CNN Money as one of the top ten places to retire young. There are a number of cultural hot spots around the city that make it as vibrant as it is.
 * Aggieville - Aggieville is the hub of Manhattan's nightlife. Due to it's large number of bars and shops, the district is frequented by college students and citizens alike. Aggieville's bars play host to numerous bands on a nightly basis. Nearby, the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art on the K-State campus is home to KSU's permanant art collection and travelling art exhibits. Entry to the museum is free of charge. Kansas State's McCain Auditorium, which draws major preformances and tours from across the globe, is also located near Aggieville.
 * Downtown - Downtown Manhattan, and the Manhattan Town Center Mall, is an anchor for shopping and entertainment in the eastern portions of Manhattan. Art galleries, fine dining options, and shopping are all major daytime draws to the area. The Manhattan Town Center Mall was built in the early 1980's and is Kansas' only urban shopping mall, located in the heart of downtown.
 * Kansas State Sports - Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, Bramlage Coliseum, and other sports venues relating to the university host events every week in their respective sports seasons, drawing fans from across the country. The facilities are sometimes used for lectures, concerts, and other non-sporting events.