People used to get arrested for talk like this.

What he is trying to do is take control away from the city manager, an unelected position. By taking over the manager's duties he will have more control over budget issues and departments. I don't know what his intentions are, but under this form of government, it is very hard for him to make any real changes. His power is completely diluted. I would personally give him the power and see what kind of changes he can make. Most likely it will be used to enrich his friends and campaign donors, however, the current system offers only very slow change and protects the establishment.