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254:, but this largely is an honorific or ceremonial designation. The mayor principally serves as chairman or president of the commission, presiding over meetings, but typically does not have additional powers over and above the other commissioners. In many cases, the mayor is selected by the commissioners from among themselves, though some cities with a commission form of government, such as
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form, in which the elected council, presided over by a non-executive mayor, hires a professional manager to oversee day to day operations of the city. Proponents of the council-manager form typically consider the city commission form to be the predecessor of, not the alternative to, the
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of the city and, as a group, are responsible for taxation, appropriations, ordinances, and other general functions. Individual commissioners are also assigned executive responsibility for a specific aspect of municipal affairs, such as
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was a major advocate of the commission plan of government, believing that every city in the United States would eventually adopt it. Zueblin also predicted that the system would eventually replace the
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However, the council-manager form, which developed at least in part as a response to some perceived limitations of the commission form, became the preferred alternative for progressive reform. After
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is the only city with a commission government. A 2022 ballot measure to replace it with a council-manager form passed with 57% of the vote and is set to go into effect after the
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As a form, commission government once was common, but has largely been supplanted as many cities that once used it have since switched to the
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council-manager form of government. The commission form is now found in less that one percent of
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functions in the same body. One commissioner may be designated to function as
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129:Executive arrangements
298:University of Chicago
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367:. December 13, 2016
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