Lord mayor is a title of a mayor of what is usually a major city in the United Kingdom or Commonwealth realm, with special recognition bestowed by the sovereign. However, the title or an equivalent is present in other countries, including forms such as "high mayor". Aldermen usually elect the lord mayor from their ranks, who consequently becomes a member of the council/alderman.
In Canada, the only town with a lord mayor in the traditional sense is Niagara-on-the-Lake, as recognition of its role as the first capital of Upper Canada. Unusually, the council of Brantford, Ontario has taken upon itself to appoint an honorary Lord Mayor Walter Gretzky in addition to the elected mayor. This is the only example of a council granting the cachet itself, rather than the cachet being granted by a higher authority, such as the Crown or national government.
In Denmark, as the translation of DanishOverborgmester, it is the title of the highest mayor of Denmark's capital city, Copenhagen.
In Germany, it is sometimes used to translate German Oberbürgermeister, the title of the mayors of large, often county-free cities. Especially in large cities that consist of subunits governed also by mayors, the title Oberbürgermeister is usually used to distinguish the head executive of the entire city from those of the subunits. As in Austria, Germany's mayors serve as the actual executive leaders of their cities and are elected officials. However, the post of mayor in the three German city-states is equivalent to that of a Ministerpräsident and the respective post is referred to as Regierender Bürgermeister in Berlin, Erster Bürgermeister in Hamburg and Bürgermeister in Bremen.
In Finland, the head city manager of the capital, Helsinki, is customarily given by the country's President the title ylipormestari , a tradition that resembles closely the lord mayoralties in other countries.
In Romania and Moldova, the mayors of the capitals are named Primar General which means general mayor. The name is ceremonial and it has no higher powers than mayors of other cities.
In Hungary, the mayor of the capital Budapest is called főpolgármester which means chief mayor or grand mayor. Only the capital has a főpolgármester. Between 1873 and 1945, the Lord Mayor of Budapest was representative of the Hungarian government at the capital's municipal authority.
In Estonia, the mayor of the capital, was named Lord Mayor from 1938 to 1940.
In Czech Republic, the mayor of the capital Prague and so-called statutory cities is called Primátor.
In Sweden, the titles of mayor and lord mayor have no direct equivalent since the 1970s. The executive leader of Swedish municipalities is one of sometimes several Kommunalråd in the function of the chair of the municipal board. In the capital Stockholm the chief executive is traditionally called Finansborgarråd —"council" in this context referring to the executive rather than the legislative branch of local government.
The Welsh translation of lord mayor is Arglwydd Faer.
The Irish translation of lord mayor is Ard-Mhéara, which means "chief mayor".
Style of address
The style of address for the office of the lord mayors of Belfast, Cardiff, the City of London, and York is The Right Honourable. All other lord mayors are The Right Worshipful. This refers only to the post, rather than the person. The title Sir can be used for salutations when a lord mayor is being addressed.
