The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, mayor pro tempore, and assistant mayor) is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many .
There may be within the same municipal government one or more deputy mayors appointed to oversee policy areas together with a popularly-elected vice mayor who serves as the mayor's successor in the event the office is vacated by death, resignation, disability, or impeachment.
In other cities, the deputy mayor presides over the city council, and may not vote except to break ties. Like the deputy mayor in other systems, the popularly elected deputy mayor becomes an Acting Mayor in the original mayor's absence. As previously noted in some cities, this office is elected separately and does not entail the elevation by the council of one of its members to be speaker. In some U.S. cities, the mayor and deputy mayor run together as a citywide ticket similar to how the president and vice president run at the national level. In other cities, particularly those with council–manager governments, the council selects one of its members to be vice mayor or mayor pro tem(pore).
The Deputy Mayor of Toronto is a title conferred on one or more members of Toronto City Council, who assist the mayor. One "statutory" deputy mayor is always appointed, although mayors have the discretion to appoint additional ceremonial deputy mayors. "These city councillors will play key roles in Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's new term". CBC News Toronto, August 10, 2023. Most commonly, a mayor who chooses to appoint multiple deputy mayors will appoint four, with one representing each of the city's four main districts of Old Toronto-East York, North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke, with one of those four holding the "statutory" position. In the event of a vacancy in the mayor's office, the statutory deputy mayor exercises limited mayoral powers on a caretaker basis to ensure continuity of government function until a by-election can be held to elect a new mayor, but does not formally assume the office of mayor and cannot fully exercise all of the mayor's powers.Michael Ranger, "City council to declare mayor’s office vacant in first meeting since Tory’s resignation". CityNews, March 29, 2023.
Ottawa appoints three deputy mayors by an internal vote of the council,Jon Willing, "Coun. Jenna Sudds appointed deputy mayor". Ottawa Citizen, December 9, 2020. while Winnipeg's mayor appoints a single deputy at their own discretion.Charles Lefebvre, "Mayor shuffles inner circle, adds new councillor to committee". CKY-DT, January 23, 2025.
Some cities in Alberta appoint both a deputy mayor and an acting mayor, with the deputy's role being to act on the mayor's behalf if the mayor is unavailable, and the acting mayor's role being to act on the mayor's behalf if the mayor and the deputy mayor are both unavailable.Al Beeber, "Acting, deputy mayor roles explained". Lethbridge Herald, April 8, 2022.
In some cities where the entire council is elected at-large rather than under a ward system, such as North Bay, the deputy mayor position may be automatically assumed by the councillor who received the most votes on election day. "Lawlor Mulls Over What Department to Head". CFXN-FM, October 25, 2010. In the majority of cities, however, a simple rotation is set up under which all members of council will have an opportunity to serve as deputy mayor for several months within the council term,Elliot Ferguson, "Deputy mayor to lead Kingston city council during federal election". Kingston Whig-Standard, March 24, 2025. or the council conducts yearly internal elections to select a deputy for a term of one year.Mark Hodgins, "Deagle Gammon elected next Halifax deputy mayor". CityNews Halifax, November 28, 2023.
This term should not be confused with the other French term député-maire, which refers to the dual mandate of a mayor who is also a deputy of the National Assembly. This practice was frequent in the French Fifth Republic, until the legislative elections held on 31 March 2017, since when a mayor cannot hold both mandates (article LO 141-1 of the electoral code).
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