Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal legislative body in a town or city with many jurisdictions. Members of Chicago's city council, for example, are known by the title of alderman.

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The title is derived from the Anglo-Saxon position of Ealdorman, literally meaning "elder man", and was used by the chief nobles presiding over shires.

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In England prior to 1974, municipal or borough councils consisted of councillors and aldermen. Each ward usually elected three councillors for a three-year term, and one alderman to a six-year term. Aldermen tended to have the senior positions within the council only because they were usually the longest serving members, because of party political patronage. Councils can still create honorary aldermen, often a reward for long service. This award is used much more often in Northern Ireland than in England.

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In the Corporation of London, aldermen are still elected for each ward, until recently for life. To be a candidate to be Lord Mayor of London, it is necessary to be an alderman and to have been a sheriff.

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In the Republic of Ireland the title was used by the first person elected in a multi-seat local government ward. The Local Government Act of 2001 abolished the title as part of a modernisation of local government, and as such none of the Councillors elected in the local elections of 2004 hold the title Alderman.

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Town: In American English, a town is usually a municipal corporation that is smaller than a city but larger than a village. In some cases, "town" is an alternate name for "city" or "village" (especially a larger village). Sometimes, the word "town" is short for "township."...