§ 14. Appointment; qualifications; term; removal; acting manager.

The council may appoint a city manager who shall be the chief administrative officer of the city. The city manager shall be chosen by the council solely on the basis of his executive and administrative qualifications and need not, when appointed, be a resident of the city or the Commonwealth, but during his term of office he shall reside within the city. No member of the council shall, during the time for which elected or appointed, be chosen as city manager. The city manager shall be appointed for a term acceptable to the council and the city manager. He shall be removable by the council for cause. Before the city manager may be removed, he shall, if he so demand, be given a written statement of the reasons alleged for his removal and the right to be heard thereon at a meeting of the council prior to the final vote on the question of his removal, but pending and during such hearing the council may suspend him from office. The action of the council in suspending or removing the city manager shall be final, it being the intention of this charter to vest all authority and fix all responsibility for such suspension or removal in the council. In case of the absence or disability of the city manager the council may designate some qualified person to perform the duties of the office during such absence or disability.