Mayor

Mayors chair their jurisdiction’s council meetings and act as main supervisor of the local government’s administrative and operational policies. They also represent their jurisdiction in ceremonial and official events and promote activities and events. They, together with the council, hold the local or regional legislative power and oversee development and implementation of policies. They also supervise staff and perform administrative duties.

The following job titles also refer to mayor:

cabinet leader
lord mayor
lady mayoress
civic leader
leader of the council
council leader
mayoress

Associate’s degree is generally required to work as mayor. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Mayor is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to mayor.

senator
provincial governor
member of parliament
secretary of state
city councillor

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of mayor. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of mayor with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of mayor.

Government representation: The legal and public representation methods and procedures of the government during trial cases or for communication purposes, and the specific aspects of the governmental bodies being represented in order to ensure accurate representation.
Government policy implementation: The procedures related to the application of government policies at all levels of public administration.

These skills are necessary for the role of mayor.

Maintain relations with local representatives: Maintain good relations with representatives of the local scientific, economic and civil society.
Liaise with local authorities: Maintain the liaison and exchange of information with regional or local authorities.
Build community relations: Establish affectionate and long-lasting relationships with local communities, e.g. by organising special programms for kindergarden, schools and for dissabled and older people, raising awareness and receiving community appreciation in return.
Maintain relationships with government agencies: Establish and maintain cordial working relationships with peers in different governmental agencies.
Manage administrative systems: Ensure administrative systems, processes and databases are efficient and well managed and give the sound basis to work together with the administrative officer/staff/professional.
Perform government ceremonies: Perform the ritual tasks and duties, according to traditions and regulations, as a representative of the government during an official government ceremonial event.
Manage government policy implementation: Manage the operations of the implementation of new government policies or changes in existing policies on a national or regional level as well as the staff involved in the implementation procedure.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of mayor. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Political parties: The ideas and principles that political parties stand for and the politicians representing them.
Project management principles: Different elements and phases of project management.
Political science: The systems of government, the methodology concerning the analysis of political activity and behaviour, and the theory and practice of influencing people and acquiring governance.
Legislation procedure: The procedures involved in the making of laws and legislation, such as which organisations and individuals are involved, the process of how bills become laws, the proposal and reviewing process, and other steps in the legislation procedure.
Public finance: The economic influence of the government, and the workings of government revenue and expenditures.
Budgetary principles: Principles of estimating and planning of forecasts for business activity, compile regular budget and reports.
Constitutional law: The regulations dealing with the fundamental principles or established precedents which govern a state or organisation.
Public law: The part of law which governs relationships between individuals and the government, and the relationships between individuals which concern society directly.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of mayor. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Apply conflict management: Take ownership of the handling of all complaints and disputes showing empathy and understanding to achieve resolution. To be fully aware of all Social Responsibility protocols and procedures, and to be able to deal with a problem gambling situation in a professional manner with maturity and empathy.
Motivate supporters: Engage people to take action by communicating inspiring public campaigns.
Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Present legislation proposition: Present the proposition for new items of legislation or changes to existing legislation in a manner which clear, persuasive, and compliant with regulations.
Prepare legislation proposition: Prepare the necessary documentation in order to propose a new item of legislation or a change to existing legislation, according to regulations.
Advise on public finance: Advise public organisations such as governmental organisations on their financial operations and procedures, to ensure optimal efficiency.
Perform debates: Construct and present arguments used in a constructive debate and discussion in order to convince the opposing party or a neutral third party of the debater’s stance.
Perform project management: Manage and plan various resources, such as human resources, budget, deadline, results, and quality necessary for a specific project, and monitor the project’s progress in order to achieve a specific goal within a set time and budget.
Advise on legislative acts: Advise officials in a legislature on the propositioning of new bills and the consideration of items of legislation.
Perform political negotiation: Perform debate and argumentative dialogue in a political context, using negotiation techniques specific to political contexts in order to obtain the desired goal, ensure compromise, and maintain cooperative relations.
Analyse community needs: Identify and respond to specific social problems in a community, delineating the extent of the problem and outline the level of resources required to address it and identifying the existing community assets and resources that are available to address the problem.
Conduct public presentations: Speak in public and interact with those present. Prepare notices, plans, charts, and other information to support the presentation.

1111 – Legislators

 

 

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References

1. Mayor – ESCO