(a) 
Mayor, qualifications - The chief executive officer of the city shall be a mayor, elected by and from the voters of the city at large. Any voter shall be eligible to hold the office of mayor. The mayor shall devote full time to the office and shall not hold any other elective public office, nor shall the mayor be actively engaged in any other business, occupation or profession during the period of service as mayor.
(b) 
Term of office - The term of office of the mayor shall be 4 years beginning on the first Monday of January following the regular municipal election at which chosen and until a successor is qualified.
[Amended by Ch. 48 of the Acts of 2023 (Section 5), approved 11-7-2023, effective 11-4-2025]
(c) 
Compensation - The city council shall, by ordinance, establish an annual salary for the mayor. No ordinance increasing or decreasing the salary of the mayor shall be effective unless it shall have been adopted in the first 36 months of the term for which the mayor is elected and it provides that such salary is to become effective in January of the year following the next regular municipal election that includes the election of a mayor.
[Amended by Ch. 48 of the Acts of 2023 (Section 6), approved 11-7-2023, effective 11-4-2025]
The executive powers of the city shall be vested solely in the mayor and may be exercised by the mayor either personally or through the several city agencies under the general supervision and control of the office of the mayor. The mayor shall cause the charter, laws, ordinances and other orders for the government of the city to be enforced and shall cause a record of all official acts of the executive branch of the city to be kept.
The mayor shall exercise a general supervision and direction over all city agencies, unless otherwise provided by law, by this charter or by ordinance. Each city agency shall furnish to the mayor, forthwith upon request, any information, materials or otherwise as the mayor may request and as the needs of the office and the interest of the city may require.
The mayor shall be the chief procurement officer for the city responsible for buying, purchasing, renting, leasing, or otherwise acquiring all supplies and all services for all departments and all activities of the city and including all functions that pertain to the obtaining of a supply or a service, including description of requirements, selection and solicitation of sources, preparation and award of all contracts and all phases of contract administration. The mayor may delegate all or any portion of such powers and duties to a subordinate officer, but no such delegation shall in any way absolve the mayor from the ultimate responsibility for all procurement activities.
The mayor shall supervise, direct and be responsible for the efficient administration of all city activities and functions placed under the control of the mayor by law, by this charter, by ordinance or otherwise. The mayor shall be responsible for the efficient and effective coordination of the activities of all agencies of the city of Beverly and for this purpose shall have authority consistent with law to call together for consultation, conference and discussion at all reasonable times all persons serving the city, whether elected directly by the voters, chosen by persons elected directly by the voters, or otherwise.
The mayor shall hold no other city office or city employment for which a salary or other emolument is payable from the city treasury. No former mayor shall hold any compensated appointed city office or city employment until one year following the date on which such former mayor's city service has terminated.
The mayor shall appoint, subject to the review of such appointments by the city council as provided in section 2-10, all city officers, department heads and the members of multiple-member bodies for whom no other method of appointment or selection is provided by this charter, excepting only persons serving under the school committee, and persons serving under the city council. Except as may otherwise be required by the civil service law, appointments made by the mayor shall be for periods not to exceed 3 years; provided, however, that the mayor may appoint the head of a department related to the public safety for a term of not less than 3 years nor more than 5 years. The mayor may suspend or remove any person appointed by the mayor in accordance with the procedure established in section 3-4. The decision of the mayor in suspending or removing a department head shall be final.
All persons categorized as department heads shall, subject to the consent of the mayor, appoint all assistants, subordinates and other employees of the agency for which such person is responsible. The department head may suspend or remove any assistant, subordinate or other employee of the agency for which such person is responsible in accordance with the procedures established in section 8-14.
(a) 
In general - The mayor may, in writing, remove or suspend any city officer, member of a multiple-member body, or the head of any city department appointed by the mayor by filing a written statement, with the city clerk, setting forth in precise detail the specific reasons for such removal or suspension. A copy of the written statement shall be delivered in hand, or mailed by certified mail, postage prepaid, to the last known address of the said city officer, member of a multiple-member body or head of a department. The said city officer, member of a multiple-member body or head of a department may make a written reply by filing such a reply statement, with the city clerk, within 10 days following the date the statement of the mayor has been filed but such reply shall have no effect upon the removal or suspension unless the mayor shall so determine. The said city officer, member of a multiple-member body or head of a department may request permission to appear at a public meeting of the city council to read the written reply concerning removal or suspension. If permission for said city officer, member of a multiple-member body or head of a department to attend a meeting of the city council is granted for such purpose, the mayor may attend the same meeting to read the statement of removal or suspension filed by the mayor in the first instance. The city council shall have no authority to vote or otherwise express its views concerning such removal or suspension.
(b) 
Public safety - The mayor may, in writing, remove or suspend the head of any city department relating to the public safety appointed by the mayor by filing a written statement, with the city clerk, setting forth in precise detail the specific reasons for such removal or suspension. A copy of the written statement shall be delivered in hand, or mailed by certified mail, postage prepaid, to the last known address of the said head of a department. The said city officer or head of a department may make a written reply by filing such a reply statement, with the city clerk, within 10 days following the date the statement of the mayor has been filed but such reply shall have no effect upon the removal or suspension unless the mayor shall so determine. The said city officer or head of a department may request permission to appear at a public meeting of the city council to contest the decision of the mayor concerning a removal from office and to read the written reply filed with the city clerk concerning such removal. If permission for said head of a department to attend a meeting of the city council is granted for such purpose, the mayor may attend the same meeting to read the statement of removal filed by the mayor in the first instance. The city council shall have the authority to vote to approve or disapprove of the action of the mayor, but it shall have no other power to otherwise express its views concerning such removal or suspension. The removal shall not take effect unless at least 5 members of the city council shall vote to confirm the action of the mayor.
Whenever a vacancy, either temporary or permanent, occurs in a city office and the needs of the city require that such office be filled, the mayor may designate the head of another city agency or a city officer or city employee, or some other person to perform the duties of the office on a temporary basis until such time as the position can be filled as otherwise provided by law, by this charter or by ordinance. The mayor shall file a certificate in substantially the following form, with the city clerk, whenever a person is designated under this section:
I designate (name of person) to perform the duties of the office of (designate office in which vacancy exists) on a temporary basis until the office can be filled by (here set out the regular procedure for filling the vacancy, or when the regular officer shall return). I certify that said person is qualified to perform the duties which will be required and that I make this designation solely in the interests of the city of Beverly.
(signed)
Mayor
Persons serving as temporary officers under the authority of this section shall have only those powers of the office indispensably essential to the performance of the duties of the office during the period of such temporary appointment and no others. In the case of a temporary vacancy, no temporary appointment shall be for more than 60 days, which may be extended for 1 30-day period. When a permanent vacancy exists in the office, the initial appointment shall be for not more than 60 days, which may be extended for not more than 3 30-day periods.
(a) 
Communications to the City Council - Within 6 weeks following the start of each fiscal year, the mayor shall submit to the city council, and make available for public distribution, a complete report on the financial and administrative activities of the city for the preceding fiscal year. The mayor shall, from time to time throughout the year, by written communications, recommend to the city council for its consideration such measures as, in the judgment of the mayor, the needs of the city require. The mayor shall, from time to time throughout the year, but at least quarterly, by written communications, keep the city council fully informed of the financial and administrative condition of the city and shall specifically indicate in any such reports any fiscal, financial or administrative problems of the city.
(b) 
Special meetings of the City Council - The mayor may at any time call a special meeting of the city council, for any purpose, by causing a notice of such meeting to be delivered in hand or to the residence of or by electronic mail to each member of the city council. Such notice shall, except in an emergency of which the mayor shall be the sole judge, be delivered at least 48 weekday hours in advance of the time set and shall specify the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is to be held. A copy of each such notice shall, forthwith, be posted on the city bulletin board.
Every order, ordinance, resolution or vote adopted or passed by the city council relative to the affairs of the city, except memorial resolutions, the selection of city officers by the city council and any matters relating to the internal affairs of the city council, shall be presented to the mayor for approval. If the mayor approves of the measure, the mayor shall sign it. If the mayor disapproves of the measure, the mayor shall return the measure, with the specific reason or reasons for such disapproval attached thereto, in writing, to the city council. The city council shall enter the objections of the mayor on its records and not sooner than 10 days, nor after 30 days from the date of its return to the city council, shall again consider the same measure. If the city council, notwithstanding such disapproval, by the mayor, shall again pass the order, ordinance, resolution or vote by a two-thirds vote of the full council, it shall then be deemed in force, notwithstanding the failure of the mayor to approve the same. If the mayor has neither signed a measure nor returned it to the city council within 10 days following the date it was presented to the mayor, the measure shall be deemed approved and in force.
(a) 
Acting Mayor - Whenever, the mayor shall be unable to perform the duties of the office for a period of 5 days or more, the president of the city council shall be the acting mayor. If the city council president is unwilling or unable to serve, the councilor-at-large with the second highest number of votes in the most recent regular municipal election shall serve as acting mayor, and if said councilor is unwilling or unable to serve, the councilor-at-large with the third highest number of votes in the most recent regular municipal election shall serve as acting mayor. If none of the councilors-at-large are willing or able to serve as mayor, the council shall elect from among its membership a councilor to serve as acting mayor.
The mayor shall, by a letter filed with the city council and a copy filed with the city clerk, designate a qualified city officer or city employee to exercise the powers and perform the duties of the office during the temporary absence of the mayor for periods of less than 5 days and to serve only when the needs of the city 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 may be necessary to the conduct of the business of the city in an orderly and efficient manner and which may not be delayed. The acting mayor shall have no authority to make any permanent appointment or removal from city service unless the mayor's inability to serve shall extend beyond 60 days nor shall an acting mayor approve or disapprove of any measure adopted by the city 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 city council is serving as acting mayor, such councilor shall not vote as a member of the city council.
(a) 
Special election - If a vacancy in the office of mayor occurs in the first 39 months of the term for which the mayor is elected, except for a vacancy as the result of a recall, the city council shall forthwith order a special election, to be held within 90 days following the date the vacancy is created, to fill such vacancy for the balance of the concluding term.
[Amended by Ch. 48 of the Acts of 2023 (Section 7), approved 11-7-2023, effective 11-4-2025]
(b) 
Council election - If a vacancy in the office of mayor occurs after the thirty-ninth month, the president of the city council shall become the mayor. If the city council president is unwilling or unable to serve, the vacancy shall be filled in the manner set forth in section 3-8(a). Upon the qualification of the president of the city council other councilor-at-large or ward councilor as the mayor under this section, a vacancy shall exist in that council seat on the city council, which shall be filled in the manner provided in section 2-11.
[Amended by Ch. 48 of the Acts of 2023 (Section 8), approved 11-7-2023, effective 1-5-2026]
(c) 
Vacancy as a result of a recall election - If a mayoral vacancy exists as a result of a recall election, the vacancy shall be filled by a special election as provided in section 7-14(g) if such election can be held within the requirements of section 7-14(f) of this charter.
(d) 
Powers; term of office - The mayor elected under section 3-9(a) or (b) shall have all the powers of the mayor. A person elected pursuant to section 3-9(a) shall serve for the balance of the concluding term at the time of election to the office. A person chosen pursuant to section 3-9(b) shall serve until the time of the next regular municipal election at which time the person elected as mayor shall forthwith be certified by the city clerk and shall serve for the balance of the concluding term, in addition to the term to which such person was elected.