Yet there remain several large cities with mayoral races to be run in 2025. Whoever wins those races will influence the lives of millions of people through their policies.
Many of those cities have little doubt about which party they will elect come voting time, but not all races have the same significance. Variations in how cities operate mean some mayors will have vastly more power and larger budgets to wield than others.
Some cities, such as New York, give their mayor significant power to veto city council actions and appoint personnel.
Other cities, such as Phoenix, use a “council-manager” type of government. Mayors are elected normally and represent the city at the local, state, and national levels but often serve as regular members of the city council.
That means cities with a “strong mayoral” government have to consider closely who their mayors will be…
