Mayor Systems

Mayor System
Name
Institution

Mayor System
The terms ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ with reference to the mayor system in the U.S may be confused with the technical ability of the government. However, it is used to refer to the level of responsibilities of the mayors in the places they are expected to lead (Tausanovitch & Warshaw, 2014). Therefore, in this case, ‘weak’ and ‘strong’ are just comparative words and not judgmental as one might think. Perhaps the main difference between the two is that in ‘strong’ mayor systems, the mayor takes on the responsibilities of a chief executive officer (CEO). As such, his or her duties are to hire and fire the staff in senior positions, approve on the expenditures stipulated on the budget, the appointment of people in critical areas, and supervise the daily activities in the council.
‘Weak’ mayor systems, on the other hand, have its political power concentrated with the council and not the mayor as seen in the previous system (Tausanovitch & Warshaw, 2014) Here, the mayor does not have any powers superior to those at the council. Also, just like any other member of the council, the mayor has only one vote. Therefore, instead of ‘weak mayor,’ this system could otherwise be called a ‘strong council’ government. Another difference between the two is that ‘strong’ mayors are elected directly by the public, or rather the citizens. ‘Weak’ mayors, on the other hand, get their votes from the city council itself. Although there are a few distinctive features in the two systems, there is no clear differentiation criterion yet.

Some cities may exhibit a mixture of the two characteristics.
Both city governments have their pros and cons. However, strong-mayor systems seem to have better citizen representation. For instance, with most powers given to the mayor, it becomes somewhat faster to make decisions as compared to a strong-council government.
Reference
Tausanovitch, C., & Warshaw, C. (2014). Representation in municipal government. American Political Science Review, 108(3), 605-641.