He leads on enforcing city ordinances and improving public services.
Inaugural holder of the office was Pío Valenzuela (1869–1956), served from 1899 to 1901, for whom the city was named.
During the Spanish colonial period, the town that composed of what is now Valenzuela, called before as Polo, was ruled by a gobernadorcillo appointed through an exclusive nomination provided by the Spanish law.
Later in the American period, first mayor Pío Valenzuela was appointed as its first municipal president until his resignation in 1901.
The current 1987 Constitution of the Philippines and the City Charter of 1998 defined the position, powers and responsibilities of the mayor.