(a) The governing body of the City of Hamlet shall consist of a mayor and five councilmen who shall be residents of the city.
(b) The mayor and the members of the city council shall be elected from the city at large.
(c) The person receiving the highest number of votes for the office of mayor shall be declared elected.
(d) The mayor shall take the required oath of office before the city clerk to perform faithfully the duties of the office of mayor and as required by the general laws of North Carolina.
(e) The mayor shall be the official head of the city and shall preside at all meetings of the city council. In the absence or the disability of the mayor, the mayor pro tem shall perform his duties. In the absence or disability of both the mayor and the mayor pro tem the council shall designate one of its members to perform such duties. In the event of the resignation of the mayor the members of the council shall by a majority vote elect a mayor as provided by the General Statutes of the State of North Carolina.
(f) The city council shall consist of five members. In the regular municipal election to be held in 1971, and biennially thereafter, three [councilmen] shall be elected. The two candidates for [councilman] receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected for a term of four years and the candidate receiving the next highest number of votes shall be elected for a term of two years. All candidates elected as [councilmen] shall serve until their successors are elected and qualified.