And for most of the period since 1964, Blacks have held one seat on the nine-member council.

Many people estimate that the current Black population is much higher, though. And the continuous representation of Blacks on the council may be more the result of advantages City Councillor Saundra M. Graham enjoys as an incumbent than an indication of PR's effectiveness.

With Graham retiring from the council this year, many Black activists say they hope to gain two seats. But they could also end up with none.

And since there are only so many ways to divide up the nine council seats, not all of them can be fully proportional.

But most city politicos agree that PR does a good job of giving fringe views a voice in government--although possibly at the expense of effectiveness.

"In some sense, perhaps, it does too good a job," says Edward B. Feinman, a spokesperson for the Today's Independents. "The need for diversity is important, but so is the need for common goals."

Feinman says that because each councillor is responsible to a small minority of the voters, there is no incentive to seek common ground. As a result, he says, councillors spend more time arguing than trying to implement effective policies.

"It does not work toward consensus," says CCA-backed candidate Ed Cyr. "I think it's one of the reasons City Council debate gets so polarized."

Cyr says that under Plan E, PR tends to simply shift responsibility toward the unelected city manager.

"[The council's] job is to set policy," he explains. But because of its political weakness and a lack of consensus, it tends to abdicate that authority."

Cyr points to a contract extension given last February to City Manager Robert W. Healy, which contains a controversial "buyout" clause requiring the city to pay Healy through 1994 even if he cannot serve as manager.

Critics of the clause say the council is giving away its most basic executive power--the right to fire the city manager.

"The manager is stronger than one would think by reading the city charater," Cyr says.

With recent cuts in state aid, many city politicos say the council's focus on rent control could change as taxes and fiscal woes take center stage. And that new emphasis could lead to a reevaluation of the PR system itself.

"There are some folks who simply don't like PR," he says. "When the next fiscal crisis hits--and we all agree that it will hit in the next two to four years--I think that there will be increasing sentiment to change Plan E."