Meaning of Mayor

The notion of mayor is used with reference to the position held by the highest authority of a municipality or town hall. The mayor is thus the highest-ranking public official in a municipal administration.

For example: “In the midst of the corruption scandal, the mayor presented his resignation”, “Tomorrow the mayor will lead the opening ceremony of a new public school”, “The former mayor of the city will stand as a candidate for deputy in the next national elections ”.

The duties and powers of the mayor depend on the regional legal organization, as does the mode of election. Depending on the city in question, the mayor may or may not be re-elected and govern for periods that usually extend from four to six years.

The figure of the mayor changed throughout history. In ancient times, it was common for the mayor to be a corregidor or a judge. From the development of democracy, the mayor became an elected official through voting and with functions defined by the Constitution.

The office of mayor may be given different names depending on the region. In Argentina, the equivalent figure is that of mayor, who is the authority that occupies the highest level in the hierarchy of a municipality. The exception is the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, where the most important official is called the Head of Government.

If we focus on the Brazilian territory, the municipalities are in charge of the prefeitos, while in Mexico the municipal president is the most important figure at that level.

Requirements to become mayor

Among the basic requirements to access this important government position are the following:

* have reached the age of majority;
* have citizenship of the country in which you intend to practice;
* not having neglected military duties;
* not have any penalty or sentence pending execution or compliance;
* have the relevant registration in the electoral roll;
* in countries with more than one official language, speak at least two of them.

The list of requirements differs from one country to another, but in all cases it is more extensive. For example, another condition may be that the mayoral candidate has resided in the corresponding municipality for a certain amount of time without interruption, or that he is not in full performance of another paid public office.

Some common functions of the mayor

As mentioned in previous paragraphs, the country in which we focus the study is decisive when defining the functions of the mayor, as well as any other figure in government. For that reason, below are some of the most common:

* heads the executive body of the local government, which must legally represent the Municipality and is the highest authority from an administrative point of view;

* in accordance with the provisions of the corresponding law (such as the Organic of Municipalities, in Peru), the mayor must carry out the convocation of any session of the Municipal Council, as well as preside over and terminate them;

* is responsible for the execution of all the agreements that are drawn up in the Municipal Council, which must also propose various projects aimed at raising the quality of life of the town for which it oversees;

* must be responsible for enacting and publishing all ordinances;

* is in charge of the formation of the investment program and the comprehensive plan for local sustainable development, which must be submitted to the Municipal Council for approval;

* advocate for the rights and interests of all the inhabitants of your locality.

Mayor