The Role of Mayor: It's Complicated

Understanding the council-manager form of government

The duties, responsibilities, and authority of the mayor in a particular city depend on the laws of the state it's in, its form of government, its city charter (if home rule), and to an extent, informally, tradition and precedent. 

On TV shows, mayors are inevitably of the "strong mayor" type - they run the city; they have all the power. They hire and fire city department heads, summon the police to do their bidding, can approve or kill proposed legislation, have veto power over council decisions, and unilaterally decide whether a development project gets the green light. In some major metropolitan cities such as Chicago and New York, it actually works that way. 

In Texas, Houston is the only major city that officially has a strong mayor form of government. However, in council-manager cities, some "weak" mayors are stronger than others. 

In a true weak mayor system, the mayor has no more influence with city management/staff and no more inside information regarding city operations than any other councilmember. In Rowlett, according to my observations and experience over twenty years, mayors have been very active in the role and have had more influence in operational decisions than the rest of the council. 

The mayor's relationship with other councilmembers

Due to state laws regarding "walking quorums" (discussion outside of a public meeting with members of the governing body in numbers of a quorum - in our case, between four or more members), the mayor cannot legally directly communicate with all councilmembers about city matters except in an open meeting when those items are posted on the agenda. 

Casual chats over coffee about upcoming agenda items are verboten once it's been discussed with two other members. Even city matters that might or could possibly come before the council at some point are off-limits. 

It is up to the city manager to ensure that all councilmembers are made aware of issues on an equal basis. The mayor can, however, discuss different issues with different councilmembers (in numbers less than a quorum). Sometimes mayors form their "teams" and communicate almost exclusively with those same members, leaving the rest of the council in the dark. This breeds resentment and distrust. 

This "team" often consists of the mayor pro tem and deputy mayor pro tem. It makes sense in that those are the people who will have to take over the mayor's duties in case s/he is temporarily or permanently unable to serve. However, it creates division and "cliques" among the councilmembers. 

Councilmembers whose priorities and interests align, or whose views on important issues are in agreement, tend to "flock together." That's human nature. But in my opinion the mayor, as leader of the council, doesn't have that luxury. S/he has to work with everyone, regardless of personal feelings or political disagreements. 

My promise to the council is that, as mayor, I will do all I legally can to include and involve all councilmembers, to the extent they want to be involved. We have some good candidates and potential candidates who have filed or picked up packets for council places in this election. If I'm mayor, I pledge to work in a collaborative spirit with whomever the people to choose to represent them, for the betterment of the city. I might disagree with you, but I'll do so with respect. 

Enabling a strong council

Some candidates may run for mayor with the goal of increasing the mayoral powers. I'm running for mayor with the intention of strengthening the powers of the councilmembers. There are certain duties that belong to the mayor by statute - but there are others that I believe should be shared with the council to a greater extent than they have sometimes been in the past. 

You, the people, go to the polls and vote for all of your representatives on the council, not just the mayor. You have the right to expect all of us to have the same level of influence to get things done.

• I believe an agenda item requested by two councilmembers should not be vetoed or moved by the mayor.
• I believe the council should be consulted in setting the schedule when the mayor calls a special (non-emergency) meeting. 
• I believe contracts with council-appointed employees (city manager, city attorney, city secretary, chief judge) should be negotiated by the council as a whole, not just the mayor. 

Those are only a few of the ways in which I, as mayor, would work to empower the council. 

Hearing the voice of the people

An important duty of the mayor, in my opinion, is not just to speak but also to listen. Reading the comments on Facebook posts isn't enough - and in fact gives a skewed perspective of what the majority of citizens really think. It's time to get back to old-fashioned one-to-one communication. 

That means returning phone calls. It means replying to emails. It means meeting with constituents in their homes or at the coffee shop - and that includes those residents who aren't your favorite people. It means not just attending official city events but going to neighborhood meetups.

One thing I would like to do as mayor is hold more town hall meetings and more interactive public forums to get citizens' input on important development decisions and other issues. I want to hear what you have to say. Even when we disagree, I want us to be able to have a conversation. 

I never want citizens to say of me that "she ignores my emails" or "she doesn't reply to my text messages." With a city of almost 70,000, I might not get back to you immediately every time, and I might not be able to give you what you want, but my goal is to always listen. 

Being a strong weak mayor

Giving power back to the council and giving a voice back to the people doesn't mean abdicating the very real responsibilities that come with the mayoral role. Being strong in the ways and circumstances where it's appropriate is equally important. 

It's the duty of the mayor, as meeting chair, to know parliamentary procedure and the specific rules adopted by the council and to enforce them, fairly and equally. In my long-ago position as a city secretary, I was also the parliamentarian for our city, so I understand the complexities of Roberts' Rules and as the chair of the Rules of Procedure subcommittee, I know those rules and pledge to conduct all meetings according to them.