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Yes, that is explicitly and exactly the reason municipalities exist. In the U.S. they are typically made up of elected and appointed representatives and they manage public space and services in their boundaries.

Mostly I don't understand why an individual neighborhood would need it's own out of band election process (that typically allows people to gain tremendous power and authority without anyone voting for them), and representatives completely decoupled from the state or government but often times acting in parallel.

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> that typically allows people to gain tremendous power and authority without anyone voting for them

Come on, at least try. HOAs (typically, your word) have elections. Someone doesn't just walk in and declare themselves the association president.

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