Based on years of practical experience in small towns, Carrel argues for municipal autonomy--for turning what are now "colonies" of the federal and provincial orders of government into independent, mature, and fully democratic entities. For Carrel, the citizen is the sole legitimate source of political power, and the best tool for citizen empowerment is the controversial tool of the referendum. This is the story of how a small municipality broke the rules of local government. It also recounts the author's irreverence for the status quo and his ideas on the rebuilding of citizenship at the community level.About the Author: Andr? Carrel sees himself as a grass-roots academic. He has thirty years experience as a Chief Executive Officer in rural communities and has worked in Africa, and with First Nations band councils in B.C.