The Mayor-Council government system, sometimes called the
Mayor-Commission government system, is one of two variations of
government used for the most part in modern
representative municipal governments in the
United States. It is also used in some other countries. The
Mayor-
Council variant can be broken down into two main variations depending on the relationship between the legislative and executive branches.
In the weak-mayor form of the mayor-council government, the council possesses both legislative and executive authority. The council may appoint officials and must approve of mayoral nominations. The council also exercises primary control over the municipal budget.
The mayor, though elected, has little real political power and less independence under this form, serves largely ceremonial duties, and may even be a member of the council.
Charles Adrian and Charles Press explain, "The weak-mayor plan is a product of Jacksonian democracy. It comes from the belief that if politicians have few powers and many checks, then they can do relatively little damage."
