The Mayor's formal duties. (City Charter, Section 309)
The Mayor’s role in Brunswick government is largely ceremonial. It includes making appointments to boards and commissions, running the Mayor’s Court, and chairing City Council meetings. The Mayor has no vote concerning City business, but can propose legislation for Council to consider and participate in their discussions.
The balance of the Mayor’s formal duties includes presiding over marriages and officiating at local events and ceremonies. Our Council-Manager form of government provides for the City’s day-to-day operation. City Council plans and directs the City’s operations through Council’s single employee, i.e., the City Manager. The City Manager, as the City’s CEO, is then responsible for managing City operations and for hiring and supervising all of the City’s other employees.
Other priorities for the Mayor's Office.
There is much more, however, that the Mayor’s office can and should contribute to the City’s work. Creating jobs in Brunswick, and growing our existing businesses, top the list of my own priorities. Statistics have shown that Brunswick’s daytime population drops roughly 30% during business hours. Other communities experience population increases during those hours. Local job creation and job growth will increase our local day-time work population, which will expand the local tax base and help sustain existing businesses. Simply put, Brunswick needs more workers going to work in Brunswick.
City services will always be in demand and the City will always be exploring ways to provide them efficiently and economically. But the only effective long-term strategy for managing City finances is to broaden the tax base. That’s the only funding plan that can avoid higher tax rates. Keeping city tax rates low not only respects our individual right to keep more of our own money, but it makes our community attractive to businesses. All of our City programs, from road maintenance and replacement to leaf collection, depend on our success in this critical job creation effort. That’s why this is the highest priority of our Mayor’s office.
