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CITY COUNCIL STRUCTURE
AND FUNCTIONS
MAYOR AND VICE MAYOR DUTIES
Mayor
According to Section 3.01 of the Charter, the Mayor shall be elected at large by the qualified voters of the City.
The Mayor shall preside over meetings of Council and be recognized as the head of the government for:
• All ceremonial purposes
• Purposes of military law
• Recognition by the Governor for military purposes2
Vice Mayor
The Vice Mayor is chosen by Council peers at the first meeting of a newly elected Council to perform official
duties in the absence or disability of the Mayor.3
COUNCIL-MANAGER GOVERNMENT
The council-manager form is the most popular structure of government in the United States among
municipalities with populations of 2,500 or more. Under this form, residents elect a governing body—
including a Mayor—to adopt legislation and set policy. The governing body then hires a manager with broad
executive authority to carry out those policies and oversee the local government’s day-to-day operations.
The City of Newport News has operated under the council–manager plan since 1920.
The council-manager form of government recognizes the
critical role of elected officials as policy makers, who focus
on mapping out a collective vision for the community
and establishing the policies that govern it. This form also
recognizes the need for a highly-qualified individual who is
devoted exclusively to the delivery of services to residents.
The structure is similar to that used by many corporations, in
which the board of directors hires an experienced CEO, who
is granted broad, executive authority to run the organization.
These boards establish the company’s overall policy direction,
while the CEO oversees implementation of that policy.4
2
City Code Sec 2-20
3
Charter Sec. 4.03 & 4.05
4
ICMA Council-Manager Form of Government https://icma.org/sites/default/files/Council-Manager%20Form%20Brochure%20%28FINAL%29%2010-2019.pdf
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