On Being Mayor

In Charlottesville the Mayor is elected by City Council, and has three roles, aside from being a member of council: chairing the meetings, setting the agenda, and serving as the ceremonial head of the City.

The ceremonial part is fun. A frequent ceremonial duty (or request), and one that I really enjoy, is to welcome various visitors or guests to Charlottesville. Most often this is for conferences held in Charlottesville (or Albemarle - somehow being welcomed to our area by the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors sometimes just doesn't seem to have the same appeal - sorry, Dennis.)

Groups I have had, or will have, the opportunity to welcome, include the state associations of:

Independent Resource Centers (Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities)
Building Inspectors
Parliamentarians
Parks and Recreation Departments
Zoning Officials
Historic Preservationists
First Night Committees (Nationwide - there are First Night Celebrations in an amazing number of communities, including Delray Beach, Fort Collins, Missoula and Akron)
Accountants
Improved Benevolent Protective Order of the Elks of the World
Nurses
Police Chiefs

There are a number of other groups that I can't think of at the moment, but you get the idea.