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Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
| Part of the Politics series |
| Common forms of local government |
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 Politics portal |
A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most common forms of local government in the United States, and is the form most frequently adopted in large cities, although the other common form, council–manager government, is the local government form of more municipalities.[citation needed]
The form may be categorized into two main variations depending on the relative power of the mayor compared to the council, the strong-mayor variant and the weak-mayor variant.
In a typical strong-mayor system, the elected mayor is granted almost total administrative authority with the power to appoint and dismiss department heads, although some city charters or prevailing state law may require council ratification. In such a system, the mayor's administrative staff often prepares the city budget, although that budget must be approved by the council.[1] The mayor may also have veto rights over council votes, with the council able to override such a veto.
Conversely, in a weak-mayor system, the mayor has no formal authority outside the council, serving a largely ceremonial role as council chairperson and is elected by the citizens of the city. The mayor cannot directly appoint or remove officials and lacks veto power over council votes.[2]
Most major North American cities use the strong-mayor form of the mayor–council system, whereas middle-sized and small North American cities tend to use the council–manager system.[3] The system is also commonly in place in Asian countries.[4]
Germany uses a form that resembles the strong-mayor variant. Italy also uses the strong-mayor model system.
The mayor–council government system is also used in some Asian countries.
Mayors in Japan are directly elected, holding significant power, with the directly elected council (assembly) providing a check and balance, operating under central government oversight according to the Japanese Local Autonomy Act (UAL). While the local government has similarities to a strong mayor–council system, and the mayor has veto powers, there are also aspects of the parliamentary form of government; the local assembly can issue a vote of no confidence. If the vote is passed, the mayor will dissolve the assembly and the people will vote in a new one. If this happens a second time and passes, the mayor is removed.[5][6]
Taiwan's administrative divisions include six special municipalities, including the capital Taipei, which use a mayor-council form of government; counties use a similar system with a chief executive called a magistrate.[7]
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
A mayor–council government is a system of local government in which a mayor who is directly elected by the voters acts as chief executive, while a separately elected city council constitutes the legislative body. It is one of the two most common forms of local government in the United States, and is the form most frequently adopted in large cities, although the other common form, council–manager government, is the local government form of more municipalities.
The Portland City Council (formerly the Portland City Commission) is the legislative body of the City of Portland in Oregon and forms part of the government of the city. In January 2025, the city of Portland switched to a mayor–council form of government from a commission form of government, with elections held the prior November. The half of the city council began full four-year terms, while the other half of the city council started initial two-year terms to establish a staggered election cycle. There are no term-limits for city councilors and they are all officially nonpartisan, although all current members of the council are members of the Democratic Party, and four of the councilors are members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Six councilors, including the four DSA members, are part of a progressive caucus dubbed Peacock (derived from "progressive caucus", or "p-cauc"), splitting the council into two equal caucuses.
South Carolina is a state located in the Southern United States. According to the 2020 United States census, South Carolina is the 23rd-most populous state with 5,118,425 inhabitants, but the 11th-smallest by land area spanning 30,060.70 sq mi (77,856.9 km2) of land. South Carolina is divided into 46 counties and contains 271 municipalities consisting of 71 cities and 200 towns. South Carolina's municipalities cover only 6.2% of the state's land mass but are home to 36.8% of its population. At incorporation, municipalities may choose to be named either "City of" or "Town of", however there is no legal difference between the two. All municipalities are responsible for providing local service including law enforcement, fire protection, waste and water management, planning and zoning, recreational facilities, and street lighting. Municipalities may incorporate with one of three forms of government: 141 chose mayor–council, 95 chose council (weak mayor), and 33 chose council–manager. Under the mayor–council form of government, an elected municipal council is composed of a mayor and four or more council members. The mayor's responsibilities include: staffing of all municipal employees; directing and supervising the administration of all departments, offices, and agencies; voting in, and presiding over, council meetings; and preparing the annual budget (with council), capital program (with council), and public financial reports. Under the council (weak mayor) form of government, the council can be composed of five, seven or nine members including the mayor, all elected, and each with one vote on council. The council has the power to levy taxes and raise funds from other sources that match the operating and capital budgets. Under the council–manager form of government, the council is composed of a mayor and four, six, or eight councilmen each with one vote. The municipality must employ a manager, establish administrative departments upon recommendation of the manager, adopt an annual budget, provide an independent annual audit of the books and business affairs of the municipality, provide for the general health and welfare of the municipality, and enact ordinances of any nature and kind. The manager is the head of the administrative branch of the municipal government and is responsible for staffing (including the hiring, firing and compensation of all municipal employees), preparing the annual budget and financial report for council adoption. The largest municipality by population in South Carolina is the city of Charleston with 150,227 residents, and the smallest municipality by population is Cope with 37 residents. The largest municipality by land area is Columbia which spans 137.188 mi2 (355.32 km2), while Jenkinsville is the smallest at 0.089 mi2 (0.23 km2).
Rhode Island is a state located in the Northeastern United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, Rhode Island is the 8th least populous state with 1,097,379 inhabitants and the smallest by land area spanning 1,033.81 square miles (2,677.6 km2) of land. It is divided into 39 municipalities, including 8 cities and 31 towns, grouped into 5 historical counties that have no municipal functions as the state has no county level of government. The entire area of the state is incorporated; all Rhode Island residents live within the borders of a city or town though some communities within towns and cities are census-designated places. Municipalities in Rhode Island can incorporate as a town or city by a special act of the state legislature and there is no minimum population requirement. Eight municipalities were re-incorporated as cities operating under a charter, while the other 31 remain as towns which perform similar services. Since Rhode Island has no county level of government, cities and towns provide services commonly performed by county governments in other states. The state's cities and towns may adopt one of four forms of government: council–manager, mayor–council, town council–town meeting, or administrator–council. The primary difference between these forms of government is how the chief executive is selected. The Council–manager system involves an elected council who exercise overall control of the local government and a chief executive termed city or town manager who is generally appointed by and responsible to the council for the administration of local policies. Council–manager systems may elect a mayor but they have no formal administrative functions with the potential exception of a degree of veto power. Mayor–council systems have a similarly elected council however the mayor is elected and yields administrative power. In the town council–town meeting system, there is no full-time chief executive. The largest municipality by population in Rhode Island is the state capital of Providence, with 190,934 residents. The smallest municipality by population is New Shoreham on Block Island, with 1,410 year-round residents. The largest municipality by land area is Coventry which spans 59.05 mi2 (152.9 km2), while Central Falls is the smallest at 1.20 mi2 (3.1 km2).
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →The Greenwood District.
