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{{short description|Form of city government}}
{{short description|Form of local government}} {{Local government forms}}
The '''mayor–council government system''' is a system of organization of local government that has an executive [[mayor]] who is elected by the voters, and a separately elected legislative [[city council]]. It is one of the two most common forms of [[local government in the United States]], and is also used in Canada, Italy, and Turkey. It is the one most frequently adopted in large cities, although the other form, [[council–manager government]], is the local government form of more municipalities.


The variant may be broken down into two main variations depending on the relationship between the legislative and executive branches, becoming a ''weak-mayor government'' or a ''strong-mayor government'' variation based upon the powers of the office. These forms are used principally in modern [[representative democracy|representative]] [[municipal government]]s in the United States, but also are used in some other countries.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Mayor-council_government|title=Mayor-council government}}</ref>
A '''mayor–council government''' is a system of [[local government]] in which a [[mayor]] who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected [[city council]] constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most common forms of [[local government in the United States]], and is the form most frequently adopted in large cities, although the other common form, [[council–manager government]], is the [[local government]] form of more municipalities.{{Cn|date=September 2024}}
==Weak-mayor government form==
==Variations and mayoral power==
In a weak-mayor system, the mayor has no formal authority outside the council; the mayor cannot directly appoint or remove officials, and lacks veto power over council votes.<ref name="saffell">{{Cite book |last1=Saffell, Dave C. |title=State and Local Government: Politics and Public Policies. |last2=Harry Basehart |publisher=McGraw Hill |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-07-352632-4 |edition=9th |page=237}}</ref> As such, the mayor's influence is solely based on personality in order to accomplish desired goals.
The form may be categorized into two main variations depending on the relative power of the mayor compared to the council, the ''strong-mayor'' variant and the ''weak-mayor'' variant.  


The weak-mayor form of government may be found in the United States, mostly in small towns that do not use the more popular [[Council–manager government|council–manager form]] used in most municipalities that are not considered large or major cities, and is frequently seen in small municipalities with few or no full-time municipal employees. By contrast, in Canada the weak-mayor system is popular even in large cities.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}
In a typical ''strong-mayor'' system, the elected mayor is granted almost total administrative authority with the power to appoint and dismiss department heads, although some city charters or prevailing state law may require council ratification. In such a system, the mayor's administrative staff often prepares the city budget, although that budget must be approved by the council.<ref name="JSOTR">{{Cite journal |author1=Kathy Hayes |author2=Semoon Chang |date=July 1990 |title=The Relative Efficiency of City Manager and Mayor–Council Forms of Government |journal=Southern Economic Journal |volume=57 |issue=1 |pages=167–177 |doi=10.2307/1060487 |jstor=1060487}}</ref> The mayor may also have veto rights over council votes, with the council able to override such a veto.


==Strong-mayor government form==
Conversely, in a ''weak-mayor'' system, the mayor has no formal authority outside the council, serving a largely ceremonial role as council chairperson and is elected by the citizens of the city. The mayor cannot directly appoint or remove officials and lacks veto power over council votes.<ref name="saffell">{{Cite book |last1=Saffell, Dave C. |title=State and Local Government: Politics and Public Policies. |last2=Harry Basehart |publisher=McGraw Hill |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-07-352632-4 |edition=9th |page=237}}</ref>


The strong-mayor form of mayor–council government usually consists of a mayor elected by voters as the head of the [[executive branch]], and a [[Unicameralism|unicameral]] council as the legislative branch.<ref name="JSOTR">{{Cite journal |author1=Kathy Hayes |author2=Semoon Chang |date=July 1990 |title=The Relative Efficiency of City Manager and Mayor–Council Forms of Government |journal=Southern Economic Journal |volume=57 |issue=1 |pages=167–177 |doi=10.2307/1060487 |jstor=1060487}}</ref>
==Use across the world==
Most major North American cities use the strong-mayor form of the mayor–council system, whereas middle-sized and small North American cities tend to use the [[Council–manager government|council–manager system]].<ref name="GIA">{{Cite book |author1=George C. Edwards III |title=Government in America |author2=Robert L. Lineberry |author3=Martin P. Wattenberg |publisher=Pearson Education |year=2006 |isbn=0-321-29236-7 |pages=677–678}}</ref> The system is also commonly in place in Asian countries.<ref>{{cite book |title=Decentralization and Local Democracy in the World: First Global Report by United Cities and Local Governments 2008 |date=4 November 2008 |publisher=World Bank Publications |isbn=978-0-8213-7735-2 |pages=80–81 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8m2CQeX4EuwC&dq=mayor+council+system+in+asia&pg=PA80 |language=en}}</ref>  


In the strong-mayor form, the elected mayor is given almost total administrative authority and a clear, wide range of political independence, with the power to appoint and dismiss department heads without council approval or public input. In this system, the strong-mayor prepares and administers the city budget, although that budget often must be approved by the council. Abuses of this form{{examples|date=January 2021}} led to the development of the council–manager form of local government and its adoption widely throughout the United States.
[[Germany]] uses a form that resembles the strong-mayor variant. [[Italy]] also uses the strong-mayor model system.


In some strong-mayor governments, the mayor will appoint a [[chief administrative officer]] who will supervise department heads, prepare the budget, and coordinate departments. This officer is sometimes called a [[city manager]]. While the term city manager is used in the council–manager form of municipal government, the manager in the strong-mayor variant is responsible only to the mayor.
The mayor–council government system is also used in some Asian countries.  


Most [[local government in the United States|major American cities]] use the strong-mayor form of the mayor–council system, whereas middle-sized and small American cities tend to use the council–manager system.<ref name="GIA">{{Cite book |author1=George C. Edwards III  |title=Government in America |author2=Robert L. Lineberry |author3=Martin P. Wattenberg |publisher=Pearson Education |year=2006 |isbn=0-321-29236-7 |pages=677–678}}</ref>
Mayors in [[Japan]] are directly elected, holding significant power, with the directly elected council (assembly) providing a check and balance, operating under central government oversight according to the Japanese [[Local Autonomy Act]] (UAL). While the local government has similarities to a strong mayor–council system, and the mayor has veto powers, there are also aspects of the parliamentary form of government; the local assembly can issue a vote of no confidence. If the vote is passed, the mayor will dissolve the assembly and the people will vote in a new one. If this happens a second time and passes, the mayor is removed.<ref>{{cite web|last1= Benjamin (senior researcher, Japan Local Government Center)|first1= Seth B.|last2= Grant (director, ICMA)|first2= Jason|title=Japan: Local Autonomy Is a Central Tenet to Good Governance|url=https://icma.org/articles/article/japan-local-autonomy-central-tenet-good-governance|publisher= [[International City/County Management Association]] (ICMA)|date= 29 March 2022|accessdate=30 July 2025|url-status=|archiveurl=|archivedate=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author1=Colin Copus |title=Leading the Localities: Executive Mayors in English Local Governance |publisher= Manchester University Press |date= 26 May 2006 |isbn=9780719071867 |chapter= Chapter 7 (''The elected mayor: lessons from overseas'') |chapter-url=https://academic.oup.com/manchester-scholarship-online/book/19882/chapter-abstract/178776330?redirectedFrom=fulltext | doi = 10.7228/manchester/9780719071867.003.0007}} {{Registration required}} (online date= 19 July 2012, {{ISBN|978-1-78170-137-9}})</ref>
 
[[Taiwan]]'s [[Administrative divisions of Taiwan|administrative divisions]] include six [[Special municipality (Taiwan)|special municipalities]], including the capital [[Taipei]], which use a mayor-council form of government; [[County (Taiwan)|counties]] use a similar system with a chief executive called a [[List of magistrates and mayors in Taiwan|magistrate]].<ref>{{cite web|last= |first= |title=Government organizations: (County (City) Level)|url= https://english.president.gov.tw/Page/106#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Local%20Government,%2C%20Hsinchu%2C%20and%20Chiayi)|publisher= Office of the President|date= |accessdate=30 July 2025|url-status=|archiveurl=|archivedate=}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Council–manager government]]
*[[City commission government]]
*[[City commission government]]
*[[Executive arrangements]] in [[England]]
*[[Town meeting]]
 
*''[[Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act]]''
== References ==
 
{{Reflist}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayor-Council Government}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayor-council government}}
[[Category:Forms of local government]]
[[Category:Forms of local government]]
[[Category:Local government in the United States]]
[[Category:Local government in the United States]]
[[Category:Local government in Canada]]
[[Category:Local government in Canada]]

Latest revision as of 13:58, 7 March 2026

Template:Local government forms

A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most common forms of local government in the United States, and is the form most frequently adopted in large cities, although the other common form, council–manager government, is the local government form of more municipalities.[citation needed]

Variations and mayoral power[edit | edit source]

The form may be categorized into two main variations depending on the relative power of the mayor compared to the council, the strong-mayor variant and the weak-mayor variant.

In a typical strong-mayor system, the elected mayor is granted almost total administrative authority with the power to appoint and dismiss department heads, although some city charters or prevailing state law may require council ratification. In such a system, the mayor's administrative staff often prepares the city budget, although that budget must be approved by the council.[1] The mayor may also have veto rights over council votes, with the council able to override such a veto.

Conversely, in a weak-mayor system, the mayor has no formal authority outside the council, serving a largely ceremonial role as council chairperson and is elected by the citizens of the city. The mayor cannot directly appoint or remove officials and lacks veto power over council votes.[2]

Use across the world[edit | edit source]

Most major North American cities use the strong-mayor form of the mayor–council system, whereas middle-sized and small North American cities tend to use the council–manager system.[3] The system is also commonly in place in Asian countries.[4]

Germany uses a form that resembles the strong-mayor variant. Italy also uses the strong-mayor model system.

The mayor–council government system is also used in some Asian countries.

Mayors in Japan are directly elected, holding significant power, with the directly elected council (assembly) providing a check and balance, operating under central government oversight according to the Japanese Local Autonomy Act (UAL). While the local government has similarities to a strong mayor–council system, and the mayor has veto powers, there are also aspects of the parliamentary form of government; the local assembly can issue a vote of no confidence. If the vote is passed, the mayor will dissolve the assembly and the people will vote in a new one. If this happens a second time and passes, the mayor is removed.[5][6]

Taiwan's administrative divisions include six special municipalities, including the capital Taipei, which use a mayor-council form of government; counties use a similar system with a chief executive called a magistrate.[7]

See also[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Kathy Hayes; Semoon Chang (July 1990). "The Relative Efficiency of City Manager and Mayor–Council Forms of Government". Southern Economic Journal. 57 (1): 167–177. doi:10.2307/1060487. JSTOR 1060487.
  2. ↑ Saffell, Dave C.; Harry Basehart (2009). State and Local Government: Politics and Public Policies (9th ed.). McGraw Hill. p. 237. ISBN 978-0-07-352632-4.
  3. ↑ George C. Edwards III; Robert L. Lineberry; Martin P. Wattenberg (2006). Government in America. Pearson Education. pp. 677–678. ISBN 0-321-29236-7.
  4. ↑ Decentralization and Local Democracy in the World: First Global Report by United Cities and Local Governments 2008. World Bank Publications. 4 November 2008. pp. 80–81. ISBN 978-0-8213-7735-2.
  5. ↑ Benjamin (senior researcher, Japan Local Government Center), Seth B.; Grant (director, ICMA), Jason (29 March 2022). "Japan: Local Autonomy Is a Central Tenet to Good Governance". International City/County Management Association (ICMA). Retrieved 30 July 2025.
  6. ↑ Colin Copus (26 May 2006). "Chapter 7 (The elected mayor: lessons from overseas)". Leading the Localities: Executive Mayors in English Local Governance. Manchester University Press. doi:10.7228/manchester/9780719071867.003.0007. ISBN 9780719071867. Template:Registration required (online date= 19 July 2012, ISBN 978-1-78170-137-9)
  7. ↑ "Government organizations: (County (City) Level)". Office of the President. Retrieved 30 July 2025.
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