ARTICLE V    THE MAYOR

Section 5.1 Term
The Mayor shall be elected for a four (4) year term.  The Mayor elected in 2019 shall continue to serve as Mayor in conformance with Section 5.7 hereof and the other terms and conditions of this Charter until the end of the term in 2023.  In November 2023, a Mayor shall be elected who shall take office in January of 2024 and shall serve a four (4) year term or until his or her successor is elected and qualified.

Section 5.2    Qualifications
In order to serve as Mayor an individual must be a registered voter in the Municipality, must have been a resident of the Municipality for at least one (1) year prior to filing for election, and must remain a resident during that individual’s term in office.

Section 5.3     Judicial Powers
The Mayor shall have all of the judicial powers now or hereafter authorized by the general laws of the State of Ohio to mayors and municipalities.  The Mayor may delegate the judicial powers to a magistrate as prescribed by State law.

Section 5.4     Legislative Powers
The Mayor shall set agendas for and preside at all meetings of Council but shall have no vote therein except in case of a tie vote. The Mayor shall be considered a member of Council when so voting. The Mayor shall attend and preside at Executive Sessions of Council unless specifically excluded therefrom by a majority vote of Council members.   The Mayor shall have the authority to call Special and/or Emergency meetings of Council and to provide notice of such meetings.
 
Section 5.5     Other Powers
The Mayor shall be recognized as the official head of the Municipality for all ceremonial purposes, by the Governor for military purposes, and by the courts for the purpose of serving civil process.

Section 5.6     Vacancies
When the Mayor is absent or inaccessible or is unable for any cause or reason to perform his or her duties, the President of Council shall become the acting Mayor, but shall not thereby cease to be a councilperson.  In the event the office of Mayor shall become vacant for any reason, the President of Council shall thereon become the Mayor and serve for the unexpired term and his or her offices as President of Council and councilperson shall become vacant.  When the President of Council is absent or inaccessible or for any reason unable to perform his or her duties as acting Mayor, then Council, by a vote of the majority of the remaining members of Council, shall designate one of their members to act as Mayor.

Section 5.7    Transition
The individual serving as Mayor on the effective date of this Charter shall also serve as the interim Municipal Administrator, with all of the powers and duties of that position, until such time as a Municipal Administrator is duly appointed by Council pursuant to Section 6.1 hereof.  The Mayor shall continue to be compensated at his or her current pay rate until a new Mayor takes office in January 2024 at which time the Mayor’s compensation shall be as determined by Council pursuant to Section 4.11 hereof.