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Amayor–council government is a system oflocal government in which amayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately electedcity council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most common forms oflocal government in the United States, and is the form most frequently adopted in large cities, although the other common form,council–manager government, is thelocal government form of more municipalities.[citation needed]
The form may be categorized into two main variations depending on the relative power of the mayor compared to the council, thestrong-mayor variant and theweak-mayor variant. In a typicalstrong-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 aweak-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]
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 thecouncil–manager system.[3] The system is also commonly in place in Asian countries.[4]
Several countries use either a mayor–council form or variations of this system.Canada uses a mayor-council system that varies within provinces and municipalities and continues to maintain legitimacy by public vote.Germany uses this form that resembles a strong-mayor variant.Italy also uses the strong-mayor model system. Mayors inJapan 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 JapaneseLocal Autonomy Act (UAL). While the local government has similarities to a strong mayor–council system, the mayor has veto powers like the U.S. government, and there are also aspects of the Parliamentary form of government. The 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]
The mayor–council government system is also in Asian countries.Taiwan'sadministrative divisions, not unlike Japan, has sixspecial municipalities such asTaipei (as of 2025 theMayor of Taipei,New Taipei,Taoyuan,Taichung,Tainan, andKaohsiung, 3 cities, and 13 counties. Each of these has amayor/Magistrate-council form of government. Magistrates are overcounties.[7]Malaysia has mayors in mostlocal governments.