The Green Party in Government would introduce directly elected mayors Trevor Sargent told the party's national convention in Galway this evening.
The party leader said that the directly elected mayor of the Greater London Council, Ken Livingstone, gave democratic accountability to the people of that city. He said it was "effective local government".
Mr Sargent added that the Green Party would give more power to local government.
"In order to serve our communities, local government must be properly funded. In Government, the Green Party would ensure the property speculators would pay their way, instead of making businesses carry the burden of rates," said Mr Sargent.
"Local government exists to serve our communities".
The party would give citizens the right to call plebicites by collecting a defined proportion of voters' signatures, he said.
Mr Sargent added they would also implement the recommendations of the 1973 Report on the Price of Building Land by Justice John Kenny.
"Those recommendations, if implemented, would give local authorities the power to acquire land for properly-planned development at agricultural prices plus a 25 per cent extra on the rent agricultural price to compensate the landowner.
"Those recommendations, if implemented, can stop land hoarding and can increase the amount of land available for social housing," he said.