[Amended 6-3-2019 by Order No. 18-126]
The Mayor shall be the Chief Executive and Chief Administrative
Officer of the Town of Weymouth and shall have all of the power and
authority that is conferred upon the Mayor by the Weymouth Home Rule
Charter.
The Mayor shall be considered to be the lawful successor to
the Board of Selectmen and shall have every power, duty, authority
and responsibility which was previously exercised by the Board of
Selectmen, unless some other provision is made in the Weymouth Home
Rule Charter or this Code.
The Mayor shall receive an annual salary of $140,000.
(a)
The Mayor shall have control of all Town property which is not actually
occupied by a Town official, department or activity and shall enforce
the conditions and covenants of any lease or tenancy thereof.
(b)
In addition to such other powers and duties as are conferred upon
the office by Home Rule Charter, by these ordinances, by custom or
by any other vote of the Town, the Mayor shall have power to do any
acts on behalf of the Town which are not by law, these ordinances
or some vote of the Town delegated to some other board, committee
or official, or reserved to the voters of the Town.
(c)
The Mayor shall appoint all Town officers whose election by the voters
or appointment by some other Town board or official is not required
by law or by these ordinances.
The Mayor, after consultation with the Town Solicitor, may bring
on behalf of the Town any proceedings before any court, legislative
committee, administrative agency or other public official or agency
and may answer and defend any such proceedings brought against the
Town and may cause the Town Solicitor to appear on behalf of the Town
in any such proceedings instituted by others in which the Town has
an interest. The Mayor, after consultation with the Town Solicitor,
may prosecute such suits to final judgment, or may compromise any
claims by and against the Town on such terms as seem to the Mayor
and Town Solicitor to be in the best interests of the Town, whether
or not such claims are in litigation.
The Mayor shall have authority in the name of the Town and through
the Town Solicitor to prosecute, defend or compromise any and all
claims or suits to which the Town is a party and in relation to claims
and suits whenever in the judgment of the Mayor it is reasonably necessary,
except actions otherwise provided for by statute or by ordinance.
All payments by the Town for worker's compensation shall, on
the approval of the Mayor, be charged to the Workmen's Compensation
Claims Fund, or the damages and claims account as shall in each such
case be deemed to be most appropriate.
The Mayor shall be authorized to accept deeds conveying an interest
in real estate to the Town. The Mayor shall notify the Town Council
whenever such acceptance occurs. All land owned by the Town which
is not by vote of the Town specifically assigned to some particular
Town agency shall be deemed to be under the authority of the Mayor.
The Mayor shall have general direction or management of the property
and affairs of the Town in all matters not otherwise provided for
unless otherwise provided by law.
The Mayor shall have authority to sell or otherwise dispose
of personal property and any real estate of which the Town has possession
or title by following the procedures established in MGL c. 30B.
Whenever a Town agency to which any land, easement, or other
right or interest in land has been assigned determines that the land,
easement, or other right or interest in land is no longer required
by the agency, it shall notify the Mayor forthwith of such determination
and shall identify, with specificity, the land, easement, or other
right or interest in land which it has deemed to be no longer needed
by the Town agency.
The Mayor, upon receipt of any such determination, shall forthwith
refer the matter to the Department of Planning and Community Development
for a report and recommendation. The Department of Planning and Community
Development shall, after study and analysis, file a report with the
Mayor containing its recommendations and the reasons for such recommendations.
Whenever any owned land, easement, or other right or interest
in land is to be sold, the Mayor shall file a request to authorize
such sale with the Town Council. The Town Council may, by a two-thirds
vote, authorize the conveyance of such land, or a portion thereof,
or the abandonment of an easement or other right or interest in the
land. The Town Council may specify a minimum sum to be paid to the
Town for such conveyance or abandonment.
The Mayor shall advertise and otherwise give notice of the offer
to convey or abandon the land, easement, or other right or interest
in land in accordance with the provisions of MGL c. 30B and any other
provisions of law as may be applicable. If the Town Council has specified
a minimum amount, the Mayor may, for such amount or any larger amount
and on such other terms and conditions as the Mayor may deem to be
proper, convey said land, or part thereof, by deed, or declare such
easement, or right, or other interest, or part thereof, be abandoned.
The Mayor, acting through the department heads, shall be responsible
for the overall supervision of the departments of the Town government
and for the establishment of priorities and policies to govern the
operation of the Town departments and agencies.
(a)
Appointment; term. The Chief of Staff may be appointed by the Mayor
and shall serve at the pleasure of the Mayor.
(b)
Duties and functions. The Chief of Staff shall in every matter be
deemed to be acting in the place of and for the Mayor, unless it is
specifically stated otherwise.
The Chief of Staff, acting only on the direction of the Mayor,
shall have the following duties:
1.
Represent the Mayor as liaison with the Town Council;
2.
Represent the Mayor at meetings of regional, state and federal agencies,
community groups, business interests and local trade and fraternal
organizations, for purposes of gathering information and/or articulating
the Mayor's point of view;
3.
Organize and summarize information and prepare it for the Mayor's
review and action;
4.
Meet with department heads regarding day-to-day business, expediting
administrative interaction between the Mayor's office and Town departments
and agencies;
5.
Serve as a liaison officer between the Town government and the Town's
residents;
6.
Be familiar with all aspects of the Town government and with the
functions of the activities of the various offices and employees of
the Town;
7.
Be familiar with the various services rendered by the Town to its
residents, in order to inform citizens of the extent of these services
and of the schedule for their performance;
8.
Complete specified research assignments with close contact to the
Massachusetts Municipal Association, the National League of Cities,
the U.S. Conference of Mayors and similar organizations, comparing
the Town's problems with problems and solutions of other communities
in the state and the nation;
9.
Meet with the Mayor, boards and commissions in normal business meetings
to explain proposals or identify means to expedite action;
10.
Work with the Clerk of the Council and the President of the Council
in preparing orders and backup material for executive department initiatives
and with committees to expedite support for committee deliberations;
11.
Serve as spokesperson for the Mayor in responding to inquiries made
concerning operations conducted by or affecting the Town of Weymouth;
12.
Perform other services so as to support the Mayor's role as Chief
Executive of Weymouth.
(a)
Temporary absence. Whenever, by reason of sickness, absence from
the Town or other cause, the Mayor shall be unable to perform the
duties of the office for a period of more than 10 successive working
days, the President of the Town Council shall be the Acting Mayor.
In the event of the absence or disability of the President of the
Town Council, the Vice President of the Town Council shall serve as
Acting Mayor.
The Mayor shall, by a letter filed with the Town Council and
a copy filed with the Town Clerk, designate a qualified Town officer
or Town employee to serve as Acting Mayor during the temporary absence
of the Mayor for periods of 10 days or less and to serve only when
the needs of the Town require and only to the extent necessary under
the then circumstances.
(b)
Powers of Acting Mayor. The Acting Mayor shall have only those powers
of the Mayor as are indispensably essential to the conduct of the
business of the Town in an orderly and efficient manner and on which
action may not be delayed. The Acting Mayor shall have no authority
to make any permanent appointment or removal from Town service unless
the disability of the Mayor shall extend beyond 60 days nor shall
an Acting Mayor approve or disapprove of any measure adopted by the
Town Council unless the time within which the Mayor must act would
expire before the return of the Mayor. During any period in which
any member of the Town Council is serving as Acting Mayor, such Councilor
shall not vote as a member of the Town Council.
[Amended 6-21-2021 by Order No. 21-090]
The Mayor may appoint such other assistants as the needs of
the office may require and as the appropriation made for such purposes
may allow.
Every employee in the office of the Mayor shall be considered
to be a confidential employee and shall not be subject to the ordinary
provisions of the Civil Service Law, G.L. c. 31 et seq., or the human
resources provisions of these ordinances.
