The City of Rock Island adopted a council-manager form of local government in 1952 to bring a professional, less political approach to local government.

Responsibilities
The Mayor and the City Council are responsible for establishing policy direction for the City, deciding taxing levels to fund municipal services and deciding the level of services provided to the citizens. They appoint a full-time City Manager who has the responsibility of overseeing the day-to-day operations of the City.

Term Length & Duties
The Mayor of Rock Island is elected to a four-year term, with the current term expiring May 1, 2013. This is a part-time position, but the office is staffed from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

The Mayor is also the local liquor commissioner for the City and as such, oversees all liquor licenses, applications, fees, fines, and violations.