Councillors and Mayors
Elected Members’ Roles
Councillors and mayors are elected to represent their communities for three-year terms.
There are no specific job descriptions for them.
However, as representatives of their communities their key role is to make decisions that will promote community well-being, now and for the future. This generally involves representing and leading the community, setting policies and making regulatory decisions, and reviewing council performance (through its annual report and the performance review of the chief executive).
The respective roles of the elected members and management are defined in each council's governance statement.
Mayor or Regional Council Chair
Mayors are elected by their district, and cannot be removed from office by the council. The mayor is expected to be a leader in the community and perform civic duties.
Regional councillors elect their chair from members and can remove them from office.
The roles of the mayor and the regional council chair are fairly similar. Neither is specified in law, but there is a general expectation they will provide leadership and direction to the council and community, chair council meetings, be the public voice of the council, and be accountable to the community.
