The normal functioning of all the systems of the settlement, the competent and timely implementation of the tasks in the field of economic, social and other areas of development is impossible without the control of the head of the city. But how can voters evaluate the quality of work of this person? In accordance with his duties and powers, which will be discussed in this article.
Mayor of the city: the meaning of the concept
The head of the city is a person who holds the highest position in the village and is empowered in accordance with the Federal Law enshrined in the Constitution of 10/06/2003. Another name for this post is the mayor, or head of the municipality.
The head of the city administration has the right to solve problems and engage in conflict resolution at the local level.
It is noteworthy that in different countries this position is called in its own way. So, for example, in Poland, the mayor is called the burmistre, in Bulgaria - kmet, and in Scotland - the lord-provost, etc.
Mayor Requirements
In accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, not every citizen can get the position of head of the city. To qualify for this responsible post, a resident of our country must have Russian citizenship, that is, be registered in the state. There is one more condition - a person who has not reached the age of 21 cannot become the mayor of a settlement.
One of the unwritten rules is the good reputation of the candidate, which increases his chances of trust on the part of residents, in whose favor decisions and various legislative acts will be taken. The future head of the city should also not be prosecuted. This also applies to an impeccable reputation.
Powers of the mayor
The mayor performs a variety of managerial functions. So, for example, the head of the city promotes the adoption of various legal acts and decrees. He is also a representative of a settlement under his control at meetings with regional authorities, legislative assemblies, and other business meetings. The mayor has the right to approve and sign various documents adopted by the Council of Deputies of the municipality . The head of the administration, within the framework of his authority, may also draw up normative acts, which include orders and decrees.
The position held requires the mayor to be accountable to the Council of People's Deputies. It is to the court of this legislative body that the mayor presents projects of various programs for the development of the municipality, and also suggests making changes to the amount of local taxes.
The mayor has the right, at his discretion, to dismiss or hire his deputies, the heads of the city administration. The range of powers of the mayor includes drawing up orders on the creation, elimination and reorganization of municipal institutions.
The duties of the head of the city are very diverse, and since all departments of the settlement are controlled by him, he has the right to verify their work.
Mayoral election
Elections of the head of the city are carried out, in accordance with the charter of this municipality, in accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation. There are two most common types of this procedure.
The first type is a secret ballot on the basis of equal suffrage. All residents of the city can participate in it, with the exception of those who have not reached the required age. The second type is voting among members of the local administration and other governing bodies of the municipality . It should be noted that the latter type of election is mainly characteristic of rural areas, where there is no need to draw a line between the functions of the head of administration and a representative body.
The system is becoming increasingly popular, in which the mayor is just a nominal figure who does not have actual power. In this situation, the head of the administration, as well as the representative body, take decisions regarding the municipality .
The difference between the functions of the city manager and the head of the city
About what functions the head of the city performs, was described above. Now more about the work of a city manager. In Russia, this position has not yet received wide distribution. In many cities, there are still no clearly established criteria by which a personβs election is held for this position.
City manager is a professional manager who performs tasks set by the city administration. Its goal is to work as quickly and efficiently as possible, to do everything for the good of the economy and economy of the municipality, to improve the quality of life of the population through the demolition of dilapidated housing, the development of projects for the construction of hospitals and kindergartens, road repairs, etc.
One of the chairmen of the regional Public Chamber sees difficulties in introducing the position of a city manager to the managerial staff due to the lack of necessary reforms. So, it is planned to carry out a reorganization of powers between authorities at different levels: local, regional and federal. There was also no horizontal reform that would allow to distinguish between the functions of the head of the city, the City Council and the city manager. Only after all these changes will it become possible to introduce this position into the administration of the municipality .
The termination of the mayor
Sooner or later, the period during which a person held the position of mayor ends. His powers terminate when a new head of the city is elected to this post. However, early termination is possible in the following cases.
Firstly, the mayor can resign of his own free will even before the expiration of the term for which he was elected. Secondly, the decision on the resignation of the current head of the city is made by the court if the official is declared legally incompetent, partially legally incapable due to health reasons, missing or dead.
Thirdly, the post of mayor is incompatible with the change of citizenship of the Russian Federation to any other, as well as with moving to another country for permanent residence.
The position does not exempt the head of the municipality from military or alternative civilian service, therefore his powers are terminated if he receives, for example, a summons from the military enlistment office.
The term "mayor"
The word "mayor" is borrowed from the English language and means "principal". However, in the Russian Empire, the post of head of the city was called differently. The first person in the settlement was called the mayor and was elected for three years. This post was established in the second half of the 18th century by Catherine II.