Where does the mayor fit in?
Mayors in council-manager communities (or chairpersons in counties) are key political leaders and policy developers. In the case of the council, the mayor is responsible for soliciting citizen views in forming these policies and interpreting them to the public. The mayor presides at council meetings, serves as a spokesperson for the community, facilitates communication and understanding between elected and appointed officials, assists the council in setting goals and advocating policy decisions, and serves as a promoter and defender of the community. In addition, the mayor serves as a key representative in intergovernmental relations. The mayor, council, and manager constitute a policy-development and management team.

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1. What is the council-manager form, which is used in so many local governments?
2. Is it a responsive form of government?
3. What is the council's function?
4. What is the manager's function?
5. What is the cost to the local government of appointing a professional manager?
6. Does the manager participate in policy determination?
7. Where does the mayor fit in?
8. Are all council-manager governments structured the same way?
9. Is this form of government used only in certain kinds of cities?
10. How many Americans live in communities that operate under council-manager government?
11. Is the form popular in large communities?
12. How much citizen participation is possible under council-manager government?
13. What is the history of the council-manager form?
14. How can a community adopt this form of government?
15. How is the manager selected?
16. Does the manager have to be a local resident at the time the appointment is made?
17. What salary does the manager receive?
18. Can the manager be fired?
19. Where do managers get their prior experience?