This is from the Globe:

Does Boston Really Need a Mayor?
More and more, the job of running a municipality seems better-suited to a professional manager.

By Tom Keane
March 2, 2008


"...so many Massachusetts towns – 305 out of 351, according to the Massachusetts Municipal Association – don't have elected mayors and rely on professional administrators instead. Even some of those with mayors (Lowell, Cambridge, and Worcester) have what are called "weak mayor" governments, where the mayor is mostly a figurehead and the real power lies with the city manager.

And why not? There's a lot of research that suggests professional administrators do a better job than elected officials when it comes to delivering services effectively. For one, they actually go to school to learn their jobs, getting degrees such as a master's in public administration. They're hired under long-term contracts, and because they don't have to worry about elections, they're not constantly trying to placate interest groups. That means, for example, that they can negotiate with public employee unions without fearing their opposition come the next election."

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magaz … d_a_mayor/

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