The Mayor-Council-Administrator Form
This document is reprinted with permission from "The Manager Plan in Maine" published by the Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy. Copies of the complete book may be obtained by calling the Center at (207) 581-1646.
Four Maine municipalities have a mayor-council-administrator form of government. These four cities are Biddeford, Saco, Waterville, and Westbrook. In terms of population, the mayor-council-administrator form of government is most common in communities with populations above 10,000. In this form of government, the council is the representative legislative body with the mayor serving as the chief administrative officer of the municipality and the administrator working directly under the mayor. All four cities have councils, all are predominantly ward elected, and have a part-time mayor elected at-large. Biddeford and Saco have weak mayor-council forms, in which the elected mayor has limited controls over administration but from time to time have experienced strong willed mayors. Both Waterville and Westbrook vest the mayor with relatively strong authority to appoint city officials and direct administration.
Under this form of government, the mayor-council relationship is preserved. The council is vested with the bulk of legislative powers, while the mayor is the chief executive officer and administrative head of government. The office of the mayor continues to be elected and part-time. The mayor appoints most officers and directs city administration. Much of the mayor's authority, however, is delegated to the professional administrator who is directly accountable to the mayor for extensive supervision of day-to-day administration. Thus, the mayor has more time available for analyzing and developing policy and the broader considerations related to administrative problems.
The mayor-council-administrator form of government represents an attempt to wed politics with professionalism. It is clear, however, that this form places highest priority on the ability of the administrator and the mayor to work closely together and to operate as a team. Frequent turnover of the office of the mayor may tend to make the administrative officer a precarious position. Different personalities and leadership styles, and the distinct political persuasion of the various mayors may result in frequent turnover in the office of the professional administrator.