An opinionated school janitor becomes ""Mayor for a Day"" when he wins an essay contest intended for schoolchildren. Meanwhile, the Mayor wants to change his image.

Mike butts heads with a hard-nosed new chief of staff appointee, Gabby Sanchez, who is unmoved by his best efforts to win her over. Meanwhile, Paul ponders taking his relationship with Claudia to the next level.

Michael discovers that his new girlfriend, Gayley, is paying for law school by moonlighting as a stripper. Meantime, Claudia catches Paul in a lie, and Nikki plays mind games with Stuart.

The Mayor separates from his wife and moves in with Michael, much to Mike's chagrin. Meanwhile, designer Isaac Mizrahi helps the Mayor's office with a charity fashion show and gives Nikki a once-in-a-lifetime chance to strut the runway in one of his creations.

Mike tries to dissuade the Mayor from joining a club for males only. Stuart joins the City Hall all-female reading group. Paul schools James in playing three-card monty.

The Mayor has a stuttering problem. And Mike has a big problem when he promises to coordinate Paul and Claudia's wedding but discovers that the church is also booked for a funeral at the same time.

After the Mayor is photographed throwing a baseball ""like a girl,"" Mike tries to give him a more macho image. But when a teenage girl mugs the mayor, Mike and Paul; Mike's got more damage control than even he can handle. Meanwhile, Stuart loses his heart to Deirdre, a woman who's just as detestable as he is.

Mike can't stop thinking about Nikki. Nikki is ready to take the next step with Arthur, but Mike is worried about that. Paul unwittingly has an affair because Stuart needs him to. Stacy dates a job-obsessed cabbie just because he looks good. James inadvertently causes a taxi driver strike, which interferes with Arthur getting to the airport. You see, if Arthur misses a plane, he and Nikki will have sex.

Mike makes the staff work on Oscar Sunday due to a screw-up of Paul's. The staff reminisces about their favorite movie moments to pass the time.

Paul has invested in a politically themed restaurant. Mike struggles to run the city while the mayor is out of town. Deidre is stalking Caitlin a la ""Single White Female.""

Paul's cheap dentist puts braces on James instead of removing his infected tooth, causing problems in James' date with the new mail girl. The city's raffle to raise money for the Big Buddy program is screwed up when Paul skimps on the raffle tickets. Stuart and Carter blackmail Caitlin to decrease their workload.

Mike helps the mayor deal with his feelings when his father unexpectedly dies. James thinks Caitlin has a crush on him. Paul's magic eight ball proves helpful to the staff.

Caitlin auditions for the job of co-host on ""Live with Regis."" Stuart and Paul work together supervising after bones are discovered under the Westside Highway. The mayor has an audio/visual link connected to the office while he is on vacation.

In an attempt to get over Claudia, Paul decides to move into a college dorm. Caitlin tries dating, after ending her relationship with Mike--but doesn't have much luck. The Mayor builds an access ramp after he gets caught parking in a handicapped parking space.

Julia's having a hard time dealing with her kiss with Charlie, so he asks her out. Their first date is a nightmare. Meanwhile, the mayor and his staff take the subway to prove that the mayor is in touch with the people. The train gets stuck in a tunnel, screwing up Charlie's plans for a second date. Meanwhile, Paul tells an exclusive cafe that Carter is Cuba Gooding Jr. to get reservations.

Charlie and Caitlin double date with Tim and Charlie's crazy ex. However, Tim dumps Caitlin, who calls Charlie to come over. They kiss; he freaks out and just wants to be friends, but reconsiders and shows up on her doorstep later. The mayor remembers why he and Chad didn't get along in the first place.

Mike calls off his engagement with Allison and increases his presence in the office, making Charlie feel threatened. However, Charlie talks him into staying with Allison and marrying her--in City Hall. Meanwhile, Caitlin helps the mayor dress like a woman for a charity event.

Caitlin makes plans with the City Hall Santa without knowing what he looks like. Stuart wrestles with his feelings when he realizes that he's in love with Michelle. And Charlie must decide which staff member is most deserving of a nice new office.