Palmerston North City Council Candidates Information Booklet

30MAYORPalmerston North City Council has a Mayor, who is elected by all electors in PalmerstonNorth City.The Mayor is the presiding member of the Council and is an ex-officio member of mostCommittees. He or she is also a Justice of the Peace for the time he or she holds office asMayor. Recent amendments to the Local Government Act 2002 have given the Mayorpower to appoint the Deputy Mayor, establish committees, and appoint their chairs and othermembers.There is no detailed job description for the position of Mayor nor are the Mayor’s duties setout fully in legislation and practice. By way of custom and practice, the following duties havegenerally evolved as the responsibility of the Mayor of Palmerston North City:- Presiding at Council meetings.- Attending and participating at meetings of committees and working parties.- Reading agenda and other materials before meetings.- Leading the Council and co-ordinating Council political activity.- Speaking on behalf of the Council and responding to media enquiries.- Liaising between the elected Council and the Chief Executive and other staff.- Representing the Council on related organisations, where appointed.- Attending and participating at conferences and seminars.- Attending to complaints and enquiries from members of the public.- Being the First Citizen of the City.- Presiding at civic ceremonies.- Hosting visiting groups, including overseas delegations.- Attending and speaking at local functions, sometimes opening them.- Declaring a state of civil defence emergency in the City if the need arises.Before commencing his or her duties, the Mayor is required to make a declaration. (Seepage 82 of this handbook.)It is difficult to provide guidance on the time endeavour required in being Mayor. RecentMayors have undertaken this role in a full-time capacity and, when in Palmerston North, theyhave been in the office most working days except when attending meetings. The currentMayor undertakes the role in a full-time capacity and, when in Palmerston North, is in hisoffice most working days except when attending meetings. Nonetheless, there is no legalrequirement or expectation that a Mayor should carry out his or her duties in the samemanner as might be expected of a full-time or even a substantial part-time employee. Theone legal obligation is to attend at least some Council meetings. Should a Mayor miss fourconsecutive ordinary Council meetings in a row without leave of absence being granted thenhe or she is deemed automatically to be no longer in office.76 Palmerston North City Council Elections 2013