Miami Commissioner Francis Suarez, dismayed by last September’s drawn-out firing of Police Chief Miguel Exposito, wants the city to switch to a “strong mayor’’ form of government in a move that would eliminate the city manager post.

“It’s because of how frustrated I am with how the city runs,” said Suarez, 34, a Miami attorney who coasted to his first elected seat in 2009, and whose father is former Miami Mayor Xavier Suarez. “We have a system that lacks accountability.”

Suarez’s proposal, contained in two charter amendments he wants placed on the August primary ballot, also would give Mayor Tomas Regalado and two commissioners an extra year in office.

If voters agree, the city would adopt a strong mayor form of government that would almost mirror Miami-Dade County’s, handing over day-to-day operations of the city’s 21 departments, 3,000 workers and its nearly $1 billion budget to the mayor. The mayor also would gain the power to hire and fire the police and fire chiefs.

The city manager’s post, the highest-paying job in the city that doesn’t belong to constitutional officers like the city clerk and the city attorney, would be gone. As city manager, Johnny Martinez earns $195,000 a year and receives an $800-a-month car allowance, and a $200 monthly phone allowance.

If voters pass a strong mayor amendment, it wouldn’t go into effect until after the next mayoral election in November 2013, or possibly later.For now, the mayor’s duties are mostly ceremonial. He acts as the face of the city and though he presides over the commission, the mayor has no vote. And though he has the ability to hire and fire the city manager, he still needs commission approval.

Suarez also plans to propose a public referendum to move city elections to even-numbered years, allowing it to piggyback on county and state elections, potentially saving the city millions of dollars.

But that move comes with a catch: It could mean an extra year in office for Commissioners Frank Carollo, Michelle Spence-Jones and Mayor Tomas Regalado, who all won seats in the November 2009, and whose terms are scheduled to end in 2013.

To get both items on the August ballot would require commission approval by the May 24th meeting, because language for any ballot measure would have to be submitted to the county by the next day.

Suarez has called a meeting on Monday morning to inform fellow commissioners of his plan.

Asked if he had plans to run for Miami mayor, Suarez said, “That’s not what this is about.” Pressed on whether he ever intends to seek the post, the commission chairman said, “It has occurred to me.”

Four years ago, former County Mayor Carlos Alvarez pushed hard to replace the executive mayor form of government with a strong mayor platform. He convinced residents it was the right thing to do, and nearly six in 10 voters supported the measure. But it came with unintended consequences for Alvarez.

Last March, in the largest municipal recall in U.S. history, voters resoundingly removed Alvarez from office after billionaire auto magnate Norman Braman mounted an expensive petition drive. He was angered over Alvarez’s support of the publicly-financed Miami Marlins ballpark, and a decision by the mayor to raise taxes to pay for salary increases for police officers at a time when home prices were plummeting and most municipalities were cutting back.

Suarez points to the Alvarez recall as an example of how the strong-mayor system benefits the public. An angry electorate, he said, was able to focus on the single person it held accountable: Alvarez.

Like in the county charter, Suarez’s strong-mayor amendment allows a recall vote if five percent, or about 5,000, registered voters’ signatures are gathered, and the mayor has served more than one-quarter of his or her term. A recent recall attempt against the mayor by the city’s firefighters union collapsed when city attorney Julie Bru opined there was no recall provision in the city’s charter for the mayor.

Braman, who said he was unaware of Suarez’s initiatives, said the change probably isn’t needed as much in Miami as it was in Miami-Dade County. But, pointing to strong-mayor systems he believes have been positive for Philadelphia and New York City, the businessman said he’s likely aboard.

“I think if you’re going to have a mayor, he should be responsible for what’s going on,” he said.

Suarez said the antics leading to the firing of Exposito, the former police chief, solidified his decision to move forward with the strong-mayor initiative. For almost a year, Exposito went toe-to-toe with the mayor and community leaders who wanted him removed after a series of political blunders and the shooting deaths of seven black men by Miami police over a seven-month period.

Yet City Manager Johnny Martinez, who avoids confrontation, waffled repeatedly on how to handle Exposito, leaving the mayor and commissioners in limbo and having to answer a public outcry.

Finally, in early September, Martinez removed Exposito for insubordination. But that only came after a 22-hour hearing that meandered over several issues that had little to do with Exposito not following the manager’s orders.

Since then the commission has been slowly eroding the manager’s powers, demanding that some personnel appointments and procedural moves that would normally fall under Martinez’s purview go before the commission for final approval.

Martinez has not objected.

Former city and county manager Merrett Stierheim, who fought the strong-mayor referendum at the county level, doesn’t think the plan would fare well in Miami.

“You may elect a mayor with a bad moral compass, and you’re stuck with him. A manager generally runs for office every day,” Stierheim said. “I’d be very apprehensive in the city of Miami. It doesn’t have the most enviable record of fiscal competency.”