Mayor's Duties
A mayor serves as the executive officer of a city and is responsible for overseeing the enforcement of all city laws and ordinances. The duties of a mayor fall into three primary categories: legislative, appointment and removal, and administrative.
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Legislative Duties
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A mayor presides over regular city council meetings and can call the council into session for special meetings, During any of these meetings, a mayor may be required to cast a tie-breaking council vote. In addition, a mayor must sign all city ordinances and resolutions as well as the minutes of council meetings.
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Appointment And Removal Duties
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Although a mayor has the absolute power to appoint the police chief, fire chief and city department heads, a city council can override the mayor's decision with a two-thirds vote of all council members. A mayor may also appoint city trustees, inspectors and commissioners.
Administrative Duties
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Before December 1 of each year, a mayor must submit a city budget to the council for its approval. Within 60 days of the close of the fiscal year, a mayor is required to submit a State Of The City Report to the council. Mayoral administrative duties also include supervising the daily activities of the the city's department heads and officers.
Vetoes
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If a mayor suspends a fire chief or police chief for inefficiency, misconduct or neglect of duty, a majority vote of the council, taken within five days of the mayor's action, can end the suspension. On the other hand, a mayor may veto any ordinance, resolution or order adopted by the city council.
Fun Fact
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When Thomas M. Menino was elected to his first term as mayor of Boston, Massachusetts, in 1993, he became the city's first mayor without Irish roots since 1930.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit "Chinese New Year 2009" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: Paul Keleher (Paul Keleher) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.
