The normal functioning of all systems of the settlement, the competent and timely fulfillment of the tasks set 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 this person's work? 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 holding the highest position in the locality and empowered in accordance with the Federal Law, enshrined in the Constitution of 06.10.2003. Another name for this post is the mayor, or the head of the municipality.
The head of the city administration has the right to solve problems and resolve conflicts at the local level.
It is noteworthy that in different countries this position is called differently. So, for example, in Poland it is customary to call the mayor a mayor, in Bulgaria -kmet, and in Scotland - Lord Provost, etc.
Mayor Requirements
In accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, not every citizen can get the position of the head of the city. To qualify for this responsible post, a resident of our country must necessarily have Russian citizenship, that is, be registered on the territory of the state. There is one more condition - a person under the age of 21 cannot become the mayor of a settlement.
One of the unspoken rules is a candidate's good reputation, which increases his chances of being trusted by residents, in whose favor decisions and various legislative acts will be made. 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 various managerial functions. So, for example, the head of the city contributes to the adoption of various legal acts and resolutions. He is also the representative of the locality 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 powers, can also draw up normative acts, which include orders and resolutions.
The position held requires the Mayor to be accountable to the Councilpeople's deputies. It is to the court of this legislative body that the mayor submits drafts of various programs for the development of the municipality, and also proposes to amend the amount of local taxes.
The mayor has the right to dismiss or hire his deputies, heads of the city administration, at his own discretion. The range of powers of the mayor also 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 he controls all the departments of the settlement, he has the right to check their work.
Mayor elections
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 based on 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 elections is typical mainly for rural areas, where there is no need to draw a line between the functions of the head of administration and the representative body.
A system in which the mayor is just a figurehead with no actual power is gaining more and more popularity. In this situation, decision makingconcerning the municipality, are handled by the head of administration, as well as a representative body.
The difference between the functions of a city manager and the head of a city
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 become widespread. Many cities do not yet have clearly established criteria for electing a person to this position.
City manager is a professional manager who performs the tasks set by the city administration. Its goal is to work as quickly and rationally as possible, to do everything for the benefit of the economy and the 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 Civic Chamber sees difficulties in introducing the position of city manager into the administrative apparatus due to the lack of necessary reforms. Thus, it is planned to reorganize the powers between the authorities of different levels: local, regional and federal. There was also no horizontal reform that would make it possible to delineate the functions of the head of the city, the Duma and the city manager. Only after all these changes will it be possible to introduce this position into the administrative apparatus of the municipality.
Termination of powers of the mayor
Sooner or later, a person's term as mayor ends. His powers terminate when a new one is elected to this post. Mayor. 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 recognized as incapacitated, partially capable for he alth reasons, missing or dead.
Thirdly, the position of mayor is incompatible with changing the citizenship of the Russian Federation to any other, as well as moving to another country for permanent residence.
The position held does not exempt the head of the municipality from military or alternative civilian service, so his powers are terminated if he receives, for example, a summons from the military registration and enlistment office.
The term "mayor"
The word "mayor" is borrowed from English and means "chief". 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 position was established in the second half of the 18th century by Catherine II.
