New Mayor, but same council

(New Mayor, but same council)

The difference between the mayor and his colleagues

Santa isn’t the only thing coming to town: a new Mayor is coming to Hemet. Each year, the Hemet City Council votes to appoint a Council Member to serve as Mayor and a Council Member to serve as Mayor Pro-Tempore or Pro-Tem. The Mayor presides over City Council meetings and serves as the official head of the City for ceremonial purposes.

Upon first glance the idea of a mayor may be one of a person who leads the city, a micro president for local government. In fact the title of Mayor, at least in Hemet, is a formality that helps keep each member of the council on equal ground as well as serving to reinforce procedure and policy. The new Mayor retains his/her same obligations and is still a representative of his/her district: only the title is changed.

This system, more than anything, keeps the Council united. Because of the nature of the Mayoral position there is no need for public elections. There is no campaigning against one another or competition between members to attain mayorship. Citizens decide on the council members and the role of Mayor is shared between the elected. The Mayor does however, have the final say in decisions such as executing all city ordinances, resolutions, and contracts.

A Mayor Pro-Tem is essentially a Vice Mayor who performs the duties of the Mayor during an absence or disability. The ceremony of stepping down usually takes place at the same time as a new mayor is elected. The former Mayor remains on the council as a council member.

This last meeting the Council elected Russ Brown as the new Mayor and Linda Krupa as the Mayor Pro-Tem. They will hold these positions until December 8, 2020 when the positions will again move to another member of the council.

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