Why don't Gotham and Metropolis ever have memorable mayors?

[daBronzeBomma]

They're the two most famous fictional cities out there. Yet the people officially in charge of running them are mere afterthoughts, if that.

Why aren't the mayors of Gotham and Metropolis even remotely significant in the 80+ year histories of the Barbers and Superverse, respectively?

Why is so much more ink always given to a city's police commissioner and a city's newspaper editor than to the individual who should be legally running the whole place?

I have to struggle to remember even one mayor for either city without looking it up. I wanna say ... Kroll in 1993's KNIGHTFALL and Berkowitz in 1986's MAN OF STEEL. That's it.

So, if the mayor of either city were to ever gain more importance at this point or in the future, I think I needs to be a misused existing Batverse and Superverse character who get permanent status quo as mayor.

But who?

[Güicho]

Who can forget that the Mayor of Gotham was secretly Batmanuel!

FYI- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...of_Gotham_City

[OpaqueGiraffe17]

Was Cobblepot ever mayor in the comics? In other media he often either becomes mayor or tries to become mayor.

[Tzigone]

Why aren't the mayors of Gotham and Metropolis even remotely significant in the 80+ year histories of the Barbers and Superverse, respectively?

Because they aren't the people the main characters interact with. It really is that simple, I think.

[Vordan]

Batman rarely ever interacts with the Mayor and Superman even less so. I’m surprised writers don’t try to establish a mayor character though, seems the easiest way of leaving a mark on the mythos.

[Restingvoice]

Both the Commissioners and Newspaper Editor are the first source of information about crimes and cases in those cities that the heroes have to solve starting way back before Superman had super hearing and Batman started tapping police radio.

So the mayors aren't as important in comparison. They just tend to be high profile villains target.

From Late Post Crisis to New 52 Gotham's mayor is Hady who became a target to The Court of Owls but usually, he's just in the background

The most important one I remember is Penguin's ancestor in the 1880s... oh and... Penguin himself in Batman Returns.

[Lee Stone]

Batman rarely ever interacts with the Mayor and Superman even less so. I’m surprised writers don’t try to establish a mayor character though, seems the easiest way of leaving a mark on the mythos.

They would have to give them powers and costumes before they could even be acknowledged in the comics.
It's like an unspoken rule or something that normal folks should only be innocent bystanders. Or victims.

[Frontier]

Writers aren't really as focused on the municipal side of comics anymore.

Was Cobblepot ever mayor in the comics? In other media he often either becomes mayor or tries to become mayor.

I remember a Catwoman one-shot that had Penguin running, but I don't thin he actually won.

[justinslot]

Real-life LOLing at the fact a list of Gotham City mayors is an actual Wikipedia article.

[Flash Gordon]

Penguin for mayor 100%.

[Osiris-Rex]

Penguin for mayor 100%.

Richard Kind as Mayor Aubrey James on Gotham was probably one of the most prominent live action mayors of Gotham City. And of course he was as corrupt as the day is long.
Oswald Cobblepot was also mayor for a while on Gotham