The Vice Mayor shall preside at the meetings of Council and perform such duties as presiding officer as may be imposed on him/her by Council, and as are provided for him/her by this Charter.
During any period when the Mayor shall be absent or inaccessible or unable for any cause to perform his/her duties, the Vice Mayor shall be the Acting Mayor and shall also continue as a Councilperson with all the powers and duties of a Councilperson. In case the office of Mayor shall become vacant, the Vice Mayor shall be the Acting Mayor and shall also continue as a Councilperson with all the powers and duties of a Councilperson for a period not to exceed forty-five days. During this forty-five-day period, all of Council, including the Vice Mayor, shall fill the vacancy with one of its members by a majority vote of all members of Council; and if the vacancy shall not be so filled within forty-five days, the Vice Mayor shall thereupon become Mayor on the forty-sixth day after the vacancy occurs and his/her office as Councilperson shall become vacant, and he/she shall serve as Mayor for the unexpired term or until the beginning of the term of a successor duly elected as hereinafter provided. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event the office of the Mayor shall become vacant at any time within forty-five days of the end of a term of Council, whether the ending term is that of Council-at-Large or Ward Council, the Vice Mayor shall continue to serve as Acting Mayor, as provided above until the end of that Council term and for an additional forty-five days in the new term, during which time Council shall fill the vacancy with one of its members as provided above. If at the end of such period of time, Council has failed to fill such vacancy, the Vice Mayor shall thereupon become Mayor and shall serve as provided above.
(Amended 11-7-89; 11-5-02.)