Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion doing yoga on the Tel Aviv beach, 1957.
Allowed? By whom? By statute? They should be able to wear whatever the hell they want to wear. If voters don’t like it for some reason, they will let them know.
Canada has a long tradition of mayors with minds of their own. Check out Charlotte Whitton of Ottawa and Dorothy Wyatt of St. John’s.
If the question is literally whether mayors should have their clothing dictated by law, I think the answer is no. At least not beyond the normal public decency law (if it exists).
~Max
A lot of businesses have a dress code by which employees should abide, so perhaps this falls into the mayoral dress code 
If it is a press conference then I think he should wear something that falls into at least “smart casual” so long trousers would be appropriate but a short-sleeved shirt without a tie would be perfectly acceptable.
Did anyone ask the mayor what he thought about it? Maybe he’s wearing a suit because that is what is comfortable for him in that situation. What he wears on his own time, when he’s not working, that’s his business and I really don’t give a toss.
Our PM (BoJo the Clown) could wear black tie for his press conferences and it wouldn’t make a job of difference to how I feel about him. He will always be a bumbling buffoon, just a slightly smarter-dressed one.
Since you are a former British colony, how about khaki shorts, a safari shirt, and a pith helmet?
Only very recently have we had that kind of weather. But I agree that could be a good look.
The sort of guys who want to be mayor tend to be suits. We never get former wrestlers or comedians, as far as I know.
That seems entirely reasonable. No need to wear shorts. Shorts are not noticeably cooler than lightweight pants and a short sleeved shirt, but wearing shorts is much less formal.
(Obviously, I’m not talking legal requirements, just what people should be comfortable with)
(and, please, no kilts)
Why?
.
Do Canadian mayors have ceremonial regalia?
We had at least one TV newscaster that often/always wore shorts. He was standing behind a podium the whole time, so the viewer only saw him from the chest and up.
In the latter case, I can say “at least he/she dresses like a mayor”. And in the former case, others can say “he/she doesn’t dress the part”, and I would be ashamed by association.
~Max
Formal shorts.
On the one hand, they’re ridiculous looking. On the other, you can wear shorts and still call it “business attire.”
According to google, they make these for men, too.
If short pants are good enough for the Prime Minister (and the President of Mexico) or the President of the United States under similar circumstances, I would think that the mayor of a major Canadian city could certainly wear shorts on his (or her) own time, even if they’re being seen in public.
You’d think so. But Canada’s biggest city is known for navel gazing and an odd obsession with being perceived as “world class”. It’s a pretty good place but tends to place too much importance on tchotchkes.
Here’s a suggestion:
Can your mayor play guitar?
A mayor is of sufficient standing, at least in his own community, that he can set the standard for what is and is not appropriate professional attire.
It used to be completely unacceptable for a man’s business attire to not include a necktie. Then some Silicon Valley types said “No, I’m not going to wear one”. And because they were sufficiently influential, there are now forms of business attire that don’t include ties.
He should probably avoid a thong.
The thong and tie look is very confusing, but you did say “business casual”.
How about just a longer tie?