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system. Without taking sides on the merits of the arguments, I think it is fair to summarize the testimony as follows: Proponents of the council-manager system argue that the office of chief executive ought to be filled by a professionally trained individual with experience in administration. They also maintain that the division of functions and powers between the executive and legislative branches leads inevitably to wasteful conflict between Council and Mayor over their respective powers and responsibilities and to disagreements which detract from the County's ability to pursue a consistent and uniform policy. Opponents of the council-manager system argue that an elected Mayor makes the government more responsive to the voters; that the appointed County Manager is vulnerable to shifts in Council coalitions; and that adequate professionalism can be assured within the present system. If this Commission decides to place the council-manager system on the ballot for approval by the voters, it will have to extensively rewrite the Charter. The most practical approach would be to present an entirely new Charter to the voters for consideration rather than to amend the present Charter to conform to a council-manager plan because there are too many sections which would have to be changed simultaneously. A number of subsidiary questions would have to be decided, including: --whether to eliminate the office of Mayor entirely, or to have a Mayor for ceremonial purposes, and if so, how to select the Mayor; - --whether appointments to boards and commissions would be made by the Manager or by the Council. (In council-manager communities, the Manager usually makes all appointments, including boards, commissions, and department heads) ; --the job tenure of the County Manager. (The manager typically serves "at will. " Some jurisdictions require a hearing or some special majority for removal) ; --the procedure for appointment of the Manager, and the required qualifications; --whether to retain the present structure of departments and commissions (especially whether to place the departments that are now under the control of commissions under the Manager instead) . There are "model" charters based on the council-manager system which we can use for guidance in drafting a new charter if the Commission decides to place this proposal on the ballot. From a strictly legal point of view, the County has the authority to switch to a council-manager system by enacting a new charter. However, there are innumerable references in State law to functions that are supposed to be exercised by the mayor of the county. I would not interpret these references as a 659 -2-