Michael Flaherty and his team grapple with a garbage strike and a political gaffe by the Mayor who accidentally insults gays. In addition, Ashley questions Mike's commitment to their relationship when is nervous about moving in together.

When Mike is named Sexiest Man in New York by ""Manhattan"" magazine, he has difficulty living up to the notoriety at home. In the meantime, the staff must deal with Mayor Winston's problematic wife during an important dinner.

Michael and the Mayor work around the clock to negotiate an end to the garbage strike, which leaves Stuart in charge of the office, to everyone's dismay. And, though they just moved into a new apartment, life is so hectic that Ashley and Michael never get to see each other.

Michael allows a TV crew into the office for a profile on himself, and one of his quotes lands him in hot water with Ashley. In the meantime, Carter goes behind Michael's back to get the Mayor to green-light a controversial project.

The former Mayor of New York is a constant critic of the current administration, and a plan to appease him has tragic consequences. Meanwhile, Michael and Ashley try to avoid their annoying new neighbors. And Nikki holds a contest among the men in the office to prove that none of them could ever be fathers.

When Mayor Winston's nominee for the Public Schools Chancellor proves an embarrassment to the administration, James urges Mike to stick with the controversial candidate. In the meantime, Ashley considers a career in television on a roundtable show.

Carter and Nikki plan a fake wedding to make a point about the mayor's stance on same-sex marriages. Meanwhile, Paul is a transformed man when the eye patch he wears after a minor injury gives him unprecedented self-confidence and sex appeal. And an unsatisfied Ashley considers leaving her new TV show for the newspaper again.

Michael needs a favor from famed real estate developer Dan Donaldson, but the price Mike has to pay may not be worth it. In the meantime, Paul finds it hard to crow about the city's lowered crime rate, since he's just become a victim of a robbery-again. And Mike and Ashley can't agree on what show to watch when they're in bed.

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.

When the Mayor's office competes against City Council in an annual Thanksgiving contest, the stakes are high, since the losers must croon a show tune in front of the press. James has trouble breaking up with a longtime girlfriend visiting from Wisconsin.

Mike tries to appease the disgruntled Police Commissioner by honoring a beloved police dog who has recently died. But things go awry on the way to the funeral when Paul and Carter lose the canine's body. And Mike buys an air hockey table for the staff proving Stuart a very big talker.

Michael substitutes for the Mayor on a political talk show, facing off against Ashley on a hot-button issue. Meanwhile, Paul plays City Hall Santa while battling a terrible bout of the flu that is sweeping the office. And everyone finds themselves going to Carter for romantic advice.

The office rallies to lift Mike's spirits after his break-up with Ashley, but he resists their best efforts. That is, until he decides he needs a friend and reaches out to Nikki in the middle of her date with the perfect man. And Paul sets a New Year's resolution to be less gullible.

Michael is uncomfortable with his newly single status when he realizes he's actually on a date with new assistant district attorney Danielle Brinkman. Meantime, Paul meets the president of his fan club, Claudia Sacks, who has arranged the group's first meeting. And Carter and Stuart have a little too much to drink and end up in an awkward situation.

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.

It's Valentine's Day, and Carter's old flame Spence wants to meet with him. Meantime, Mike goes on a date from hell with a beautiful friend of Nikki's, and Paul's romantic evening with Claudia becomes unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

For the Mayor's 50th birthday, Paul is determined to get his ""old friend"" George Stephanopoulos to attend the event; as Michael arranges for birthday wishes from David Letterman, Patrick Ewing, Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, Frank Gifford, Rosie O'Donnell, Larry King, and the cast of Rent. But in the midst of the planning, a scandal swirls about the Mayor's presumed affair with a staffer from the Governor's office.

A major snowstorm hits Manhattan, causing a chain reaction of mishaps at City Hall. Mike desperately tries to meet his longtime crush on her last night in the city; Paul accidentally offends the Mayor on the radio; Carter and Stuart are locked in the boiler room; and a nudist is on the loose in the Mayor's office.

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.

It's damage control time when the Mayor's inept new sign-language interpreter inadvertently offends the deaf community, and Michael rushes to appease one of its leaders, Sarah Edelman. Meantime, Paul is worried that Claudia wants to move in permanently.

On the personal front, Mike struggles with his ex-girlfriend, Carrie, who is desperate to bear his child (with or without his participation). At the office, he's playing peacemaker after the mayor's ill-chosen words split up a beloved band just before their reunion concert.

The men in the office find love-or rather, lust-is in the air, causing more than a few problems. And Nikki wonders whether her new heartthrob, George, is a struggling writer or an untalented mooch.

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.

Despondent over his separation with his wife, the Mayor decides on a whim to take a road trip with Paul, leaving Mike in charge of New York City and scrambling to find out where they went.

The staff prepares for the mayor's bid for re-election announcement. Mike becomes a hero when he saves a runaway baby carriage, but the reality of the situation isn't what it seems. Carter adopts his family's 19-year-old dog. And, Paul teaches Stacy how to get a sick day without being sick.

After Mike's picture with model Heidi Klum is in the tabloids, people assume he's dating her. But, he soon is after she asks him out. As a result, Nikki reveals to Carter that she has a secret crush on Mike. And The Mayor can't stop laughing at VERY inappropriate times.

Mike prepares to have sex with Heidi Klum for the first time. After ""it"", Heidi asks Mike to keep their relationship a secret. James receives his Aunt Sarah's ashes in the mail; his Aunt Sarah was a cow. Mike daydreams while making a statement to the press and accidentally reveals his relationship with Heidi; she breaks up with him. Paul's new fan creates problems for Aunt Sarah (take a wild guess).

Carter, Nikki and Mike go deer hunting in a fundraising attempt. While Mike is gone, Stuart becomes Stacy's boss for the day. And, with Claudia's help, Paul campaigns for a raise.

The Mayor brings an abandoned baby to City Hall. Mike's old girlfriends voice opinions about him. The Mayor sends James to see a psychiatrist for him, concerning his sexual problems. Mike wants to adopt the baby. The Mayor takes Viagra to help him out. Mike's interview with the social worker doesn't go very well. Nikki prepares to tell Mike about her crush on him, but can't quite get the words out.

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 discovers that his childhood pal, Nate Scott, has more in common with Carter than meets the eye, and finds it difficult to deal with this revelation. Meanwhile, Paul instructs Stacy in the finer art of being a cheapskate.

Paul has moved to Harlem and is annoying Carter and Janelle because he thinks that he's black. The Mayor is preparing to run the Olympic torch around City Hall, but can't because the Nigerian speed walker supposed to deliver the torch to him has disappeared, lost in the city. Mike struggles with the fact that he can't live without his job, while trying to take a vacation. Nikki finds a ringer to pose as her boyfriend, for them to have dinner with Mike. Stacy spills the beans to Mike about Nikki's feelings for him.

Stacy's staying with Carter and Stuart while her apartment is fumigated. Her partying cramps their style. Trying to outdo NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon and NBA player Jayson Williams, the Mayor promises his kidney to a young boy. Unfortunately, his doesn't match--but Mike's does. Meanwhile, Mike's playing the jealousy game with Nikki and promises to donate his kidney to the boy in hopes that she'll break up with Arthur for him. But when she offers him a chance to speak up about his feelings, he's anesthetized for his surgery and can't say anything.

The Mayor is disturbed by a campaign commercial by his opponent, starring his ex-wife. Mike plans the City Hall Thanksgiving, scheduled to be televised live throughout New York City, with the Mayor's father scheduled to attend. At the dinner, the Mayor blows up at his father on live TV. Meanwhile, Stacy mistakes Stuart for her boyfriend in the dark and lays a big wet one on him, making her think twice about her feelings for him.

The staff prepares for the Mayor's costume ball. Stuart tries to break up with Deidre. And after Mike sets Stacy up with a councilman to get his vote, she likes the set-up as the councilman plays the hero.

Carter and Stuart plan to spend Christmas together. Mike must baby-sit a smart monkey that will be given to the city zoo as a gift from Ghana. The staff prepares the City Hall greeting card. Carter and Stuart meet two old men from their building who mirror themselves in 30 years.

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.

The mayor submits a personal ad in a newspaper as the rest of the office men prepare for the mayor's annual male bachelor charity auction. Mike chooses to spend some extra city money on a futuristic new bathroom for City Hall. The new bathroom is insensitive to overweight people. The mayor asks Paul for advice on how to approach a woman. Stacy teaches James how to model so that he can garner more money than Mike in the big auction. Mike puts on a fat suit to appease the head of the overweight person's commission. Stuart's sister is in town but no one has seen her.

When the mayor starts to worry about becoming the object of a violent attack, a videotape showing Mike apparently leaving him in the line of ""gunfire"" damages their relationship. Meanwhile, Nikki sees Mike in an entirely different light after her viewing of the same tape reveals he was trying to protect her. And, Arthur wants to propose to Nikki, but puts his relationship with her at risk by confiding in Stuart.

Mike and Nikki struggle with taking their relationship to the next level, i.e. sex. Stacy runs a phony psychic hotline on Paul. And the rest of the staff participates in a stakeout to demonstrate the city's new police technology.

Mike and Nikki decide to keep their relationship a secret. Stacy's Aunt Marie visits. Deidre files sexual harassment charges against Stuart after he dumps her. Carter is talking about himself in the third person. Marie tries to seduce James. Stuart is close to being fired. Deidre offers to drop the charges for sex, immediately, with Mike. Thanks to the building's new security cameras, Deidre is exposed. The mayor finds himself growing attracted to Janelle, and the two kiss while discussing the sexual harassment case.

Mike's political mentor is preparing to visit with the mayor preparing to appoint him head of the city's millennium project. Marie is still in town and messing around with James. The mayor and Janelle plan a get-together. Owen has changed a little over the years and believes he is the Messiah. After Carter puts Rags in Paul's care, Paul accidentally kills the ailing dog. Owen brings Rags back to life with a touch.

Nikki wants to make her relationship public knowledge. The mayor prepares to appear on ""Politically Incorrect."" Carter is dating a gay boxer. Paul becomes addicted to Stacy's aunt's meatball subs. The mayor accidentally outs his relationship with Janelle while on TV. Nikki and Mike fight after he's not ready to expose their relationship yet.

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.

Mike agrees to donate sperm for Paul and Claudia, not realizing what Paul forgot to tell him. A City Hall tour guide is harassing Stacy. James has been commissioned to write a piece for ""Sassy.""

A feuding Carter and Stuart become friends with the other's ex, just for spite.

It's Nikki and Mike's four-month anniversary. James is still the only person who knows, but he wants to tell. Stuart takes Carter's job for a day, helping the mayor deal with various ethnic groups. James develops a rash from keeping the secret. Mike prepares for a magazine interview, but during the interview, the reporter's focus shifts to Carter. Stuart enlists Stacy's help with the ethnic groups. James spills the beans.

The staff pesters Nikki for details about her sex life with Mike. James asks Mike to invest his life savings in an Internet company, but when Mike holds off on investing, the stock goes up several points, and Mike must find a way to make the money back. Meanwhile, the mayor has an action figure made of himself but unfortunately, they're all anatomically correct.

Mike is tested when Nikki is out sick and the mayor hires his ex, Heidi Klum, to help publicize the new animal rights campaign. Meanwhile, the mayor and Paul try to inject some humor into their press conferences. When Mike accidentally tells Nikki that even though Heidi came onto him, he had feelings for her and still turned her down, she walks out.

Mike tries to convince Nikki that nothing is going on between himself and Heidi Klum. The mayor doesn't understand that Janelle wants to break up with him. Janelle gets Mike to do it for her, but Nikki overhears Mike talking to Carter about it and thinks that Mike is going to break up with her. After Rags poops in his shoe, Stuart gives him to Heidi. Nikki breaks up with Mike. The next day, there is tension in the office. Carter tells Nikki the truth. She goes to Mike's apartment where Mike is hung over. As he goes back into his room to put on his pants, Heidi sits up in his bed...