Simply Somersworth: City mayors represent democracy in action
Jenne Holmes
There have been 36 serving mayors in Somersworth since the community voted to become a city in 1893. The first of those mayors was Franklin N. Chase, who served for a year. The city s youngest mayor would be George Bald, who served from 1978 until 1984. Mayor Bald would be the last mayor who would govern under what is referred to as the strong mayor form of government. When Mayor Burkham took office after Bald he would be serving under the mayor/city manager form of government.
Now, you might be wondering what the differences between a strong mayor and that of the mayor/city manager form of government. The good news is that it has nothing to do with how much weight they can lift or how much they weigh. (At least it’s good news for them.) A strong mayor is basically the chief executive of the council and has the power to veto any measures that might be passed by the city council and is a full-time p