More recently, the Municipal Council rejected the mayor's plan for a city-owned water management corporation.

WSJ: Cory Booker Eyes Third Term as Newark Mayor

"It is the best project to have come out of the municipal council, " says Dr. Choong Sim Poey, who heads a citizens' transport lobby.

CNN: Georgetown

Since the creation of the modern City Council in 1989, when the municipal legislature was granted full power over the budget, a bill has never made it to the floor without the express support of the speaker.

WSJ: Council Members May Bypass Quinn