| |
| | Administrative Units and Local Government |
 | | The three tiers in local government are the gmina (basic level), an intermediate level called the powiat (alternative spelling poviat), and the major territorial unit, called the voivodeship (Polish województwo). |
 | | Local government's decision-making and supervisory bodies are the councils (rada), which operate at all three levels. |
 | | The councils appoint and dismiss the following local administrative officers: the wójt, the chief administrator in a gmina; the mayor (burmistrz in small boroughs and prezydent miasta in large municipalities); the starosta or starost, the chief administrative officer at powiat level; and the marsza³ek sejmiku, the speaker of the sejmik voivodeship council. |
| www.poland.gov.pl /Administrative,Units,and,Local,,Government,391.html (288 words) |
|