ATTACHMENT 1 CITY COUNCIL PROTOCOLS
SELECTION OF MAYOR AND VICE MAYOR
CITY COUNCIL POLICY
SELECTION OF MAYOR & VICE-MAYOR
The Mayor and Vice Mayor serve at the pleasure of the City Council, with the Vice Mayor authorized to possess and perform the duties of the Mayor in the absence of the Mayor. Traditionally, the City Council selects a Mayor and Vice Mayor each December to serve for the following calendar year.
It is important to note that the Council acts as a body. no member has any extraordinary powers beyond those of other members. While the Mayor and Vice-Mayor have some additional ceremonial and administrative responsibilities, all members are equal with regard to voting and in other significant areas.
The intent of this policy is to ensure a fair and equitable policy for all Councilmembers regarding Selection of Mayor and Vice Mayor.
City staff has researched other cities protocols and have provided options below for consideration. The protocols fall within four broad categories:
1. Selection of the Mayor and Vice-Mayor through some variation of the basic motion, second, and vote process.
2. Use of a process that allows the Council to gather all nominations, evaluate candidates, and attempt to reach consensus. For example, after all nominations are received, each councilmember can rank the candidates, to see if there is consensus.
3. Use of an objective metric to select the mayor. For example, the policy could dictate that the mayor shall be the most *senior member of the council who has not previously served as mayor.
4. Rotation of Councilmembers for Mayor and Vice Mayor. For example, Vice Mayor shall assume the role of Mayor and the most *senior member of the Council who has not served as Vice Mayor would become Vice Mayor.
*If there is not a senior member, senior member could be a member who has received the highest number of votes in the last general election.
ATTACHMENT 1 TO AGENDA ITEM 12
SUMMARY SELECTION OF MAYOR/VICE MAYOR
ATTACHMENT 1 CITY COUNCIL PROTOCOLS
SELECTION OF MAYOR AND VICE MAYOR
Listed below is a summary of examples utilized by other California Cities of policies received as of the writing of this report. The City did not list all cities as some cities utilize the same process. City staff did a sample of cities and provided a table for reference. It should be noted that the numbering below does not indicate any preference or ranking by the Ad Hoc Committee.
1. Motion, Second, Vote: Selection of the Mayor and Vice-Mayor through some variation of the basic motion, second, and vote process. Cities that utilize this process, include, but are not limited to:
a. Atherton
b. Cloverdale
c. Cotati
d. Healdsburg
e. Lodi
f. Orinda
g. Palo Alto
h. Pleasanton
i. Sebastopol
j. Santa Rosa **
k. San Leandro
l. Sonoma
m. Rohnert Park
n. Windsor
2. Ballot Process: Use of a process that allows the Council to gather all nominations and vote on them by ballot. After all nominations are received, each councilmember can rank the candidates, and total votes can be counted to see which one has received the most support:
a. Santa Rosa** If more than two nominations, process of elimination. b. Moreno Valley (Vice Mayor Selection. Mayor is elected directly by voters.)
3. Metric System/or Highest Votes: Use of an objective metric to select the mayor. The policy could dictate that the mayor shall be the most *senior member of the council who has not previously served as mayor or in choosing the Mayor and Deputy Mayor, the Council could place the two highest vote getters in any one election into a queue to rotate into the position of Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
Cities that utilize one or other of the process, include, not but not limited to:
a. Del Mar
b. Hayward (Vice Mayor only) (Mayor is elected directly by voters.) c. Pinole
d. Redwood City
e. Signal Hill
4. Rotation of Vice Mayor/Years on Council: Vice Mayor shall assume the role of Mayor and the most *senior member of the Council who has not served as Vice Mayor would become Vice Mayor.
Councilmembers would be rotated through as Mayor and Vice Mayor, with their position in the rotation determined by their consecutive years on the Council, and councilmembers with equal years of service placed in the rotation based on total vote count received in the election. Under this rotation system, the Vice Mayor would automatically be advanced to Mayor. Cities that utilize this process, include, not but not limited to:
a. Arcata
b. Fairfax (Rotation stated as goal but not required.)
c. Petaluma (Vice Mayor only. Mayor is elected directly by voters.) d. South San Francisco
ATTACHMENT 1 TO AGENDA ITEM 12
SUMMARY SELECTION OF MAYOR/VICE MAYOR