Commission:

The Charter Review Commission, a group of 15 citizens appointed this year to evaluate city policies, has recommended that the mayor be elected specially by voters and serve a four-year term with a two-term limit after a 7-6 vote with two members absent at its Oct. 20 meeting.

Pat Dapkus, a senior administrative analyst for the city and the commission’s staff liaison, said the mayor would have the same powers as under the current system, in which the City Council appoints one of its members for a one-year term, but would be a more prestigious figure.

“The argument that is made in favor of directly electing is that the voters are selecting the mayor,” she said. “Also, if you look around the county, those mayors who are directly elected have a greater regional presence, because they’re in office for a longer period of time and can get involved in issues at the regional level.”

In February or March, Dapkus said, the commission plans to pass all its recommendations on to the City Council. Any changes the council approves will have to go before voters, possibly in the November 2010 general election.

Mayor Keith Bohr said he strongly favors making the mayor an elected position, in part because a longer term would give an official more clout in lobbying for state legislation or applying for grants. And, he said, many projects take several years, and having a consistent mayor would make that a smoother process.

“I think we kind of neutralize or diminish the potential power of the mayor to represent the city’s interests,” Bohr said.

Commissioner Joe Shaw, who voted against making the mayor an elected position, said having a single mayor for four years would discourage opposing political views.

“The way we have our system now, we have a diverse group of people that get to serve as mayor,” said Shaw, a City Council candidate for 2010. “It helps the city to run smoother and better and not devolve into partisan politics.”

The appointment process briefly became an issue last year for then-Mayor Debbie Cook, who was sued unsuccessfully by a Republican attorney for using “mayor” in her campaign for Congress.

The attorney argued that the title was invalid because Cook had received it from the council rather than voters.

Cook said Wednesday she was opposed to making the mayor an elected position. She disputed the belief that doing so would make the office more powerful.

“That is hogwash,” she said. “Show me the data that proves that. You cannot find it. You can take all the cities in Orange County and line up all those with a directly elected mayor and those without, and you’ll find it’s just not true.”

Raphael Sonenshein, a consultant appointed by the commission to discuss the role of mayors, said a directly elected mayor is different than a “strong mayor,” a term often used for the leaders of large cities. A strong mayor, he said, has the power to veto ordinances, prepare and submit the budget and hire and fire city department heads, while a directly elected mayor, title notwithstanding, remains a member of the City Council.

The Charter Review Commission’s next meeting is at 6 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall.