What is Mayor-Council Government

A form of municipal government in which both the council and the mayor are elected, the latter either by popular vote or by council election. This form of government consists of the strong mayor and the week mayor types. In the strong mayor form of mayor-council government, the mayor has almost total administrative authority with a clear wide range of political independence, the power to appoint and dismiss department heads without council approval, and to prepare and administer the city budget with the approval of the council. In the weak mayor-form of mayor-council government, the council possesses both legislative and executive authority, may appoint officials and must approve mayoral nominations. The mayor, though elected, has little real political power and less independence.

A Comparative Study of Municipal Adoption of Internet-Based Citizen Participation

Stephen K. Aikins (University of South Florida, USA)