Business Enquiries: https://www.thebluecats.com.sg/What CDCs do: https://www.cdc.gov.sg/who-we-are/mission/In Singapore, the term "mayor" often causes confusion because it differs vastly from how the title is used in other countries like the US, where mayors are elected leaders who run cities with executive authority—similar to a mini prime minister. In contrast, Singapore’s mayors are not in charge of towns or cities. Instead, they oversee Community Development Councils (CDCs), which aren’t involved in municipal management but exist to strengthen community bonds, assist residents in need, and promote cohesion. Think of US mayors as CEOs and Singapore mayors as managers in a company’s HR department that plans cohesion activities and welfare outreach.To understand what mayors do, you need to first know what CDCs are. CDCs serve geographical regions, each combining several GRCs and SMCs. Their aim is to support local welfare initiatives, coordinate community bonding efforts, and act as a bridge between the government and the people. CDCs are under the People’s Association (PA), a statutory board under MCCY that also manages Community Centres. If CCs are the physical tools for social cohesion, CDCs are the programmatic arm—organising initiatives like the CDC Vouchers scheme to help Singaporeans.Each CDC is headed by a mayor, and there are five in total. While there's no legal requirement for mayors to be MPs, they traditionally are. After each election, mayors are sworn in to serve their district for the new term. Their role is not necessarily full-time, yet each receives an annual salary of $660,000, excluding their MP pay. This has stirred public debate, with figures like Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh questioning both the need for mayors and the justification for their high pay.