1964-1975
War on Poverty community action boards (1964-1970s)
Federal legislation required 'maximum feasible participation' of the poor on community action boards overseeing anti-poverty funds. In practice, many boards were dominated by local officials and civic elites rather than the poor themselves.
Then
Conflict erupted in cities over who controlled anti-poverty money, with lawsuits and federal interventions.
Now
Became a cautionary example of representation mandates outpacing actual practice, and pushed later programs toward clearer accountability rules.
Why this matters now
Shows a familiar pattern: advisory bodies created to represent a population often get captured by better-connected groups. Here, private school students hold all the mayor's seats on a body meant to speak for all city youth.