"The Mayor shall be the official head of the City for all ceremonial purposes, shall preside at all meetings of the City Council, may speak and vote in such meetings, and shall appoint all committees of the City Council. All other duties of the Mayor prescribed by law shall be exercised by the City Manager, except as this Charter provides otherwise. The City shall provide the Mayor with appropriate office space and secretarial and clerical assistance to perform his duties."
"The Mayor shall have the right to veto any and all actions of the City Council. No vote or decision of the City Council which has been vetoed by the Mayor shall be effective unless such veto is overridden by the vote of 2/3 of all Councilors serving in office, provided, however, that for the purposes of any such override vote the Mayor shall not be considered as a City Councilor."
City Charter Chapter C Sections 10 & 10-a "Powers of Mayor" & "Mayoral Veto""Except as herein provided otherwise, all the powers of the City of Rochester shall be vested in a City Council, consisting of 12 Councilors and the Mayor. Except as herein provided otherwise, the City Council shall have all powers conferred by law upon city councils, boards of mayor and alderman, and the selectmen of towns so far as applicable to cities. All committees of the City Council and all boards shall be deemed advisory only, except as herein otherwise provided. The City Clerk shall serve as Clerk of the City Council."
City Charter Chapter C Section 4 "City Council"Elected for a two-year term at the biennial municipal election, every odd-numbered year.
The moderator is the chief election officer in charge of the polls at the ward level. The moderator is under the direction of the city clerk who is the city’s chief election officer. It is the responsibility of the moderator to make certain that all the election officers are available on the day of the election and that each is familiar with their respective duties for the day. All ward election officers are subordinate to the moderator and he/she shall be responsible for the correctness of the election procedure. The moderator is required to have the polling place open and ready to accept voters at the prescribed time (currently 6:00 AM). This will require the polling staff to report to the polls at least one hour before the polls open. There is a variety of documentation to be legally posted at the polling place and the moderator must assure that they are properly posted. The city clerk will provide all necessary materials and instructions.
During the election day, the moderator is charged with maintaining order at the polling place. He/she will be the authority on all decisions. The city clerk will offer assistance to the moderator by phone or in person, if necessary. The city clerk supplies election specialists to be available to aid the moderator with technical or administrative assistance throughout the day.
Other duties during the election day process may include, but are not limited to, inspecting the checklists, inspecting the voting machines, aiding voters, maintaining order, determining voter challenges, receiving and processing absentee ballots, closing the polls, processing the vote counts, determining legal ballots, reporting the voting results, securing the ballots, validating/signing documentation, and returning the materials, documentation and counted ballots to the city clerk’s office. The moderator may be asked to participate in any recount procedures that a candidate may request.
Elected for a two-year term at the biennial municipal election, every odd-numbered year.
The ward clerk shall report directly to the moderator. The primary duty of the clerk shall be to administer and prepare the documentation required at the polling place. This would include not only the election return and tally sheets and associated reports, but will also include such documentation as poll workers time sheets, payroll records, W-4 forms, etc.
The ward clerk must pick up the ward supplies and documentation package at the city clerk’s office before reporting to the polling place.
The ward clerk shall also aid any voters who may need assistance in the polling area. The clerk will assist the moderator in the course of managing the polling place.
Other duties require the clerk, at the direction of the city clerk and the Secretary of State, to require the selectmen to sign and post warrants announcing the upcoming election.
The selectmen are responsible for choosing the polling place. They report directly to the moderator. Their primary duty is to maintain the checklist and to aid the voters in the election process. They must be signatories on warrants and most of the election reports and are, therefore, responsible for the proper counting of the election results (including tallies and absentee counting) and providing the Ward Clerk with their results. They are responsible for the orderly flow of voters through the polling place and to ensure that the polls are open and functioning properly. They are also responsible for making appointments of ballot inspectors if the two major parties fail to appoint within the required timeframe.
"Said Supervisor, having been first duly sworn to the faithful discharge of the duties of their office, and a certification thereof recorded by the City Clerk, shall, previous to every election, prepare, revise, and post up, in the manner required by law, an alphabetical list of the legal voters in each ward. In preparing said list they shall record in full the first or Christian name of each voter, but may use initial letters to designate the middle name of any voter."
"For each municipal election said Board of Supervisors shall be in session for the purpose of revising and correcting the list of voters at such places as they shall designate in accordance with the requirements of RSA 654:27, as presently enacted or the corresponding provisions of any recodification or amendment of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated. In the preparation of said list the said Board of Supervisors shall have all of the powers granted to and perform all of the duties imposed upon such Supervisors by the provisions of Chapter 654 of the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated, so far as the same are not inconsistent with the provisions hereof. "
"Said Supervisors shall deliver to the City Clerk attested copies of the list of voters in each ward, prepared and corrected as aforesaid, before the hour of meeting, and said checklist so corrected, and no others, shall be used at the election. After the closing of the polls at said election, the Moderator and the Ward Clerk in each ward shall certify on the checklist used by them that such checklist is in fact the one used by them at said election and that it contains a corrected and complete list of the legal voters in their ward. One marked copy of each checklist used in said election shall be turned over to the City Clerk by the Supervisors. The City Clerk shall preserve such checklists in his custody for a public record for a period of no less than five years. Immediately after the ballots cast at a municipal election have been tabulated and the result have been announced, the Moderator or his designee, in the presence of the Selectman or their designees, shall seal and certify the ballots as provided by RSA 659:95 and shall deliver them to the City Clerk in the manner prescribed by RSA 659:98."
City Charter Chapter C Sections 54, 55 & 56 "Voter checklist preparation", "Supervisors' session, voter registration" & "Voter checklist, election day"This guide was created by Life in the Lilac City. Life in the Lilac City was not commissioned by any candidate, political party or government to construct this guide.
If you are a candidate and would like any of the information on your page to be modified, please reach out to the guide's editor, Mike Fraser at MichaelFraserII@GMail.com