The city of Decatur Commissioners appointed former commissioner Tony Powers as its new mayor.

The city has a unique way of selecting a mayor because voters don't elect them, but that could change soon.

Decatur Commissioners have been appointing a mayor since the city's inception more than two centuries ago.

Since voters don't elect the Mayor, some neighbors say they didn't know who the Mayor was, prior to Powers being sworn in tonight. 

"Do you know who Decatur's mayor is?" CBS Atlanta's Leondra Head asked Willie Barnes, a Decatur resident.

"No, I don't," Barnes said."I don't either," Sheryl Swenn, another resident, said.

Since 1823, Commissioners in the city of Decatur have been appointing its major and some people like that."I feel like it's okay for them to elect a person because they know who best would represent the city," Maria Alvarez, a Decatur resident, said.

But recently, Decatur's Board of Commissioners approved a change to the city's charter to allow people living in Decatur to elect the mayor. It would go into effect during the 2027 elections.

"The city commissioners, as well as a number of voters, feel we should have the opportunity to vote for the mayor," Patti Garrett, Decatur's former mayor said. Patti Garrett served as Decatur's Mayor for the last 10 years.

She believes the power should be in the hands of the people. "Half the people in Decatur never saw my name on a ballot. It's a step towards having better representation," Garrett said.

Neighbors are eager to elect their mayor for the first time in the city's history."That's a big change. That's what we need," Swenn said. "It's constitutional. It's the way it's suppose to be," Barnes said. Decatur's Mayor gets paid an annual salary of $15,000.

The role is considered more of a ceremonial role and the city's mayor has equal power as the city's commissioners.