The Baltimore City legislative body consists of a City Council with 15 members, each voter electing their District Councilperson as well as the Council President, Mayor and Comptroller citywide. If you think about Baltimore City as a ship heading out on a mission, we can distill it down to this: 

The crewmembers on the ship are the Councilmembers. Their home constituents voted them to board the ship and represent their interests. These crewmembers live in their districts and know the unique problems their residents face and are very accessible to them, often attending community meetings and local events, likely working in their district as something other than a councilperson (since it's a part-time job).

The Council President is chosen by all residents, usually someone who was a crewmember (a district councilperson) previously. Consider them the first mate. They help run the show. They arrange meetings, set the agenda for the crew, lead discussions, and make sure things are moving forward efficiently. They act as a key organizer and mediator, helping crewmembers collaborate. If the Mayor can’t perform their duties, the Council President steps in—making them second-in-command on the ship, ready to take the wheel if needed.

In a crew meeting, the first mate might say "what do yee need for your home?" 

Crewmember Glover might shout: "My residents have a lot of trash in their neighborhoods! We need more than one trash day a week - I vote we add another!" 

All the crew says "Aye!" or "Nay!" If they vote yes, then the idea/bill becomes law. If they vote no, he may try again or change his approach to this problem in the future. Here's a link to the legislative process. 

But back to the metaphor. The Mayor, the captain of the ship, elected by the whole city. They chart the course for where Baltimore is headed and work with everyone on board to get us there. They are the navigator as well as the leader, but they don't do it alone. The Mayor works closely with all department heads to ensure that Baltimoreans on land are receiving necessary services that the city provides. 
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And the City Comptroller, who plays a really important behind-the-scenes role, is elected by the people, also. Think of them as the ship’s treasurer. They watch over contracts, audits, and city spending to make sure we’re staying on course and not wasting fuel (or tax dollars).