Wuhu addresses deputy mayor concerns

The government of Wuhu city addressed mounting concerns about its number of deputy mayors on June 6 saying that five out of the 11 officials were on temporary assignments.

The five officials came from central and provincial authorities, the city said in a statement, adding that two of the officials have resigned and returned to their original posts.

The city's number of deputy mayors attracted public attention after Zhan Yunchao, one of the officials, was photographed on a bicycle escorting his daughter to school. Zhan won praise from many writing on the Internet for his parenting skills. However, media attention soon switched to the number of deputy mayors listed on the city's website.

The website took down the names of three officials from the long list of deputy mayors on June 5 due to the mounting concerns, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

Usually the number of deputy mayors is decided by the city's population and also depends on other factors, said Wang Yukai, a professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance.

"The problem of setting up too many deputy roles for officials is a prevalent one in local governments," Wang was quoted by the paper as saying.