Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments.
Many elected vice mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence. Appointive deputy mayors serve at the pleasure of the mayor and may function as chief operating officers.
There may be within the same municipal government one or more deputy mayors appointed to oversee policy areas together with a popularly-elected vice mayor who serves as the mayor's successor in the event the office is vacated by death, resignation, disability, or impeachment.
In other cities the vice mayor presides over the city council, and may not vote except to break ties. Like the deputy mayor in other systems, the popularly elected vice mayor becomes acting mayor in the mayor's absence. As previously noted, in some few cities, this office is elected separately and does not entail the elevation by the council of one of its members to be speaker. In some U.S. cities, the mayor and deputy or vice mayor run together as a ticket similar to how president and vice president run at the national level.
In New York City, there are multiple deputy mayors who handle coordination of specific policy areas where the First Deputy Mayor serves as the general deputy mayor for the Mayor of New York City.
The French term député-maire does not mean "deputy mayor", but refers to a mayor who is also a deputy of the National Assembly of France.
In Davao City, there is both an elected vice-mayor as a direct constitutionally mandated deputy of the Mayor of Davao City and appointed deputy mayors. The deputy mayors are appointed to administer each ethnic minorities situated in Davao City.