Brooklyn Center is a charter city which is governed by its city charter. They have adopted the “council-manager” plan which means the council sets policy (think legislative branch) and the city manager is head of administration (think executive branch).

The mayor in this configuration is one member of the council, with very few additional rights/responsibilities beyond chairing the meetings of the council. Unlike what you see on tv, or in larger cities, the mayor has very little power.

All of the employees in the city report through the city manager. The mayor can’t fire anyone. The council, on a majority vote, can fire the city manager (and hire a replacement) but that’s it.

So the mayor of Brooklyn Center can’t fire a police officer or the police chief or even the city manager (unless they can get 2 other votes for firing the manager from the council).

Every city is different and the relationship between the elected officials and the city manager is unique. Some are amicable. Sometimes there is tension. Some defer to electeds, some see them as a nuisance.

Remember that council members and mayors in a smaller city are very part time. The city manager is more than full time. It’s a 60-70 hour a week job.

Curt Boganey, the city manager of Brooklyn Center, in my personal experience with him, finds his electeds to be a nuisance. My vibe from Curt was always “this is my city” and he tolerates electeds at best.

(My city manager in Crystal had a much more balanced relationship with the electeds)

In reality, the city administration has no obligation to include the mayor or council in their operations, including crisis/civil unrest plans. Now, if there is a declaration of an emergency things get more gray.

Most cities will do a good enough job of placating their electeds to keep them quiet during a crisis, or at least keep them from being unhelpful. This dynamic might be interesting to watch in BC over the next few days.