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New York · Through 2026-09-11

N.Y. General City Law § 2-a: Succession to certain city offices

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Where this section sits in the code
  1. General City Law
  2. Article 2. General Provisions

§ 2-a. Succession to certain city offices. 1. In every city in which

the mayor and president or presiding officer of the local legislative

body are elected at the same time and for the same term by the electors

of the entire city, in case of the removal from office of the mayor, his

death, inability to discharge the powers and duties of the office,

resignation or absence from the city, the powers and duties of the

office shall devolve upon such president or presiding officer for the

residue of the term or until the disability shall cease. When the

powers and duties of the office of mayor shall devolve upon such

president or presiding officer for the residue of the term, he shall

serve as and be the mayor.

In case the person elected mayor shall die, or become unable to

discharge the powers and duties of the office, after his election but

before he shall have qualified as and assumed the office of mayor, the

powers and duties of the office of mayor shall devolve upon the person

elected as such president or presiding officer at the same election and

he shall serve as and be the mayor for the term for which the mayor was

elected.

This subdivision shall not affect the operation of any provision of

law which limits or restricts the exercise by the president or presiding

officer of the powers and duties of the mayor during a limited period of

either absence of the mayor from the city or inability of the mayor to

perform his powers and duties.

2. In every such city, in case of the removal from office of the

president or presiding officer, his death, inability to discharge the

powers and duties of the office, resignation, absence from the city or

when he shall serve as and be the mayor as provided in subdivision one,

the powers and duties of the office shall devolve upon the president pro

tempore or vice-chairman for the residue of the term or until the

disability shall cease. When the powers and duties of the office of

president or presiding officer shall devolve upon such president pro

tempore or vice-chairman for the residue of the term, he shall serve as

and be the president or presiding officer. The provisions of this

subdivision shall apply to cities in which the president or presiding

officer of the local legislative body is elected at the same time and

for the same term as the member selected by such body to be its

president pro tempore or vice-chairman.

This subdivision shall not affect the operation of any provision of

law which limits or restricts the exercise by the president pro tempore

or vice-chairman of the powers and duties of the president or presiding

officer during a limited period of either absence of the president or

presiding officer from the city or inability of the president or

presiding officer to perform his powers and duties.

3. The provisions of this section shall apply notwithstanding section

thirty of the public officers law or any inconsistent provisions of,

a. any general or special law, or

b. any local law, ordinance, or city charter, heretofore or hereafter

adopted, except that a city charter provision in effect before November

fifth, nineteen hundred seventy-five which provides for a vacancy in the

office of mayor to be filled in at the next general election if the

vacancy occurs before the twentieth day of September and otherwise in

the general election held in the following year shall prevail over this

section and a vacancy in the office of mayor shall be filled as provided

in such a charter provision.

Collected 2026-09-14T19:32:45Z. Source file · JSON

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