The role of Vice Mayor is largely ceremonial.
It allows council members to attend ceremonial events on behalf of the mayor and, at times, to assume necessary duties if the mayor is unavailable.
However, this role can become contentious. The policies around appointing a vice mayor are usually not clearly defined in city codes and instead follow tradition, which varies from city to city.
Many people believe that each council member should be given an opportunity to serve as vice mayor at least once. While this has generally worked as intended in San Ramon, when the council unanimously appointed councilwoman Marisol Rubio as vice Mayor, it has recently taken a very contentious turn in two other city councils we have been covering.
Recently, in the City of Dublin, there was a particularly contentious situation. Mayor Sherry Hu began by nominating John Morada as vice mayor, and eight members of the public voiced their support for him.
However, the council later changed direction and appointed Jean Josey as Vice Mayor, even though she had previously served in that role. No clear reason was given for the council's change of course.
It started with:
John Morada – as listed on the Dublin city website
And ended with:
Jean Josey – as listed as Vice Mayor on the Dublin city website.
Similarly, in Tallahassee, FL, although each council member had previously served as Mayor Pro Tem except Ms. Porter, she was denied the role despite being initially nominated. Councilwoman Porter, along with Councilman Matlow, has consistently ranked the
With a 3–2 majority, after multiple votes, the council ultimately appointed Curtis Richardson as Vice Mayor.
Jeremy Matlow, Dianne Williams-Cox, John E. Dailey(Mayor), Jacqueline "Jack" Porter, Curtis Richardson
Councilman Matlow did have an opportunity to serve as Vice Mayor earlier in 2020.
This is emerging as a pattern that OpGov.ai is observing across multiple cities. It shows how the dynamics around the role of vice mayor can shift at any moment.
In our work at OpGov.ai, we have seen how these seemingly ceremonial roles can reveal deeper questions about fairness, transparency, and power in local governance.
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