A reeve is the elected head of council in some rural municipalities, counties, or regional districts, equivalent to a mayor in urban municipalities. The title originates from medieval English administration and persists in parts of Canada, particularly in the Prairie provinces and some Ontario counties. In some jurisdictions, the reeve is directly elected by voters; in others, council members choose one of their number to serve as reeve. The reeve chairs council meetings, represents the municipality externally, and serves on regional or county councils. Some jurisdictions have replaced 'reeve' with 'mayor' for consistency, but the traditional title remains common in rural Canada.