§ 40:69A-86 — Mayor; election by council or by voters; charter provision

Any municipality adopting a council-manager plan of government shall provide in its charter either: a. That the mayor shall be elected by the members of the council; in which case on the first day of July or January, as appropriate, following their election, the members-elect of the municipal council shall assemble at the usual place of meeting of the governing body of the municipality and organize and elect one of their number as mayor. The mayor shall be chosen by ballot by majority vote of all members of the municipal council. If the members shall be unable, within five ballots to be taken within 2 days of said organization meeting, to elect a mayor, then the member who in the election for members of the municipal council received the greatest number of votes shall be the mayor. Should such person decline to accept the office, then the person receiving the next highest vote shall be the mayor, and so on, until the office is filled; or b. That the mayor shall be elected directly by the voters of the municipality at the regular municipal election, or general election, as the charter shall provide. At the first election following the adoption of the charter, and each appropriate subsequent election, one position of council member to be elected at large shall be designated and voted for under the title of mayor, and candidates for the position shall be clearly designated as candidates for mayor in their respective nominating petitions. The candidate for mayor receiving the greatest number of votes shall be elected, and shall serve for a term of 4 years. L.1950, c. 210, p. 486, s. 9-6, eff. June 8, 1950. Amended by L.1981, c. 465, s. 26, eff. Jan. 9, 1982.