The City Commission may at the time of organizing elect by secret ballot, one of its members as President and another as Vice-President for terms of 2 years. In case the members of the City Commission within 5 days after the time herein fixed for their organization meeting, are unable to agree upon a President or a Vice-President of such City Commission, then a President, or a Vice-President, or both as the occasion may require, shall be elected from all the members of such City Commission by lot conducted by the Law Director; who shall certify the result of such selection by lot upon the journal of the City Commission.
The President shall preside at all meetings of the City Commission and perform such other duties consistent with his or her office as may be imposed by it; and he or she shall have a voice and vote in its proceedings, but no veto. He or she may use the title of Mayor in any case in which the execution of legal instruments of writing or other necessity arising from the general law of the State so requires; but this shall not be construed as conferring upon him or her the administrative functions of a mayor under the general laws of Ohio, but he or she shall have the judicial functions of a mayor under the laws of Ohio until such time as such judicial functions can or may be by and under authority of the Constitution and general laws of the State performed by some other officer appointed or elected for that purpose.
The President of the City Commission shall be recognized as the official head of the City by the courts for the purpose of serving civil process, by the Governor for the purpose of military law, and for all ceremonial purposes. He or she may take command of the police and govern the City by proclamation during times of public danger or emergency, and he or she shall himself or herself be judge of what constitutes such public danger or emergency. However, such a public danger or emergency proclamation of the President of the City Commission may be terminated at any time by an affirmative vote of 4 members of the City Commission. The powers and duties of the President shall be such as are conferred upon him or her by this Charter, together with such others as are conferred by the City Commission in pursuance of the provisions of this Charter, and no others.
If the President be temporarily absent from the City, or becomes temporarily disabled from any cause, his or her duties shall be performed during such absence or disability by the Vice-President. In the absence of both President and Vice-President, the other members of the City Commission shall select one of their number to perform the duties of President.
(Amended 11-7-89)