...or supervisory council.

Not my subject area but this is the sense I get from googling!

Alderman, magistrate of a city, warden/town warden, superintendant/mayor -

or possibly another term in keeping with the general meaning of supervision and legal/administrative responsibility,etc.



http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org....

Definitions of alderman on the Web:

* a member of a municipal legislative body (as a city council); **"aldermen usually represent city wards"**
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions. Historically the term could also refer to local municipal judges ...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alderman

* a member of several municipal legislative bodies in a city or town;
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/alderman

* aldermanic - of or relating to or like an alderman
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

* An **Alderman is an elected Member of the Court of Common Council, as well as a Member of the Court of Aldermen. ...**
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Council_a...

* (elder man.) One of a certain select number of the senior members of a Borough Council, next to the Mayor in civic dignity; generally elected by ...
www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx

Note - "Alderman" in the U.S. today at least, is a term that is common only in several of the larger eastern cities or cities adjacent to Eastern cities. It is not a term common in the Western cities. So it has the ring of history, tradition, and connection to a European heritage.


http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=alderman

alderman Look up alderman at Dictionary.com
O.E. aldormonn (Mercian), ealdormann (W.Saxon), from aldor, ealder "patriarch" (comparative of ald "old") + monn, mann "man." A relic of the days when the elders were automatically in charge of the clan or tribe, but already in O.E. used for king's viceroys, regardless of age. The word yielded in O.E. to eorl, and after the Norman Conquest to count (n.). Meaning "headman of a guild" (1130) passed to "magistrate of a city" (c.1200) as the guilds became identified with municipal government.




http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warden


Main Entry: war·den
Pronunciation: \ˈwȯr-dən\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English wardein, from Anglo-French wardein, gardein, from warder to guard
Date: 13th century

**1 : one having care or charge of something : guardian, keeper
2 a : regent 2 b : the governor of a town, district, or fortress c : a member of the governing body of a guild
3 a : an official charged with special supervisory duties or with the enforcement of specified laws or regulations **<game warden> <air raid warden> b : an official in charge of the operation of a prison c : any of various British officials having designated administrative functions <warden of the mint>
4 a : one of two ranking lay officers of an Episcopal parish b : any of various British college officials whose duties range from the administration of academic matters to the supervision of student discipline


In meaning 3, above -

http://www.police-jobs.co.uk/town-warden-jobs/

permanent and contract Town Warden vacancies

*Town wardens* are a highly visible community presence in town centres, helping to discourage anti-social behaviour and reduce crime. Town warden jobs are non-confrontational and their duties mainly involve observing and reporting any crimes or issues they see to the relevant authorities. Town warden jobs are especially suited for those who enjoy being out and about talking to all kinds of different people within the community, and those who have excellent observational and communication skills.


The term may be in the singular - Kollega - substantive (-en,-er) rather than a collective singular body. < Dansk-Englesk Ordbog, Gydendals Røde Ordbøger, Copenhagen, 1995


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town_council

A town council is a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or civil parishes. A council may serve as both the representative and executive branch.

Depending upon local laws and regulations, **town councils usually self-organize and elect a leader to set the agenda of their governing body. This leader may be granted a title such as chairman, mayor, or president.**




---

Much depends on the role of the "opsynskollegiet" in the locale at the time indicated.

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Note added at 2 days19 hrs (2009-12-07 06:08:13 GMT)
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For a body, plural - Aldermen, town aldermen, board of aldermen, aldermen's council, council of aldermen, etc.

More on the contemporary & Anglo-Saxon role of alderman back to medieval times:


http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_job_description_of_a_t...

What is the job description of a town alderman at large?


An Alderman is essentially a city council member. They serve on a board of alderman and make decisions regarding the use of city funds and they create city ordinances. The functions of the board of alderman can vary from city to city depending on the structure of your city's government. The mayor of the city is the 'chairman' of the board. He/she runs and directs the meeting. The Alderman vote on issues and the mayor is usually not allowed a vote unless a tie occurs.

There are usually two types of Alderman seats:

1. 'At large' - meaning the Alderman represents citizens throughout the whole city.

2. A 'ward' or 'district' alderman - meaning the alderman represents a political sudivision or district of the city. For instance, a city might be divided into three sections. Each section could have it's own elected alderman to represent those citizens.


http://www.townoffarragut.org/town-government/board-mayor-al...

Town Government
Board of Mayor & Aldermen

Meetings on 2nd and 4th Thursdays, 7 p.m. at the Town Hall
...
Farragut's municipal government operates with a mayor-aldermanic charter. The Board of Mayor and Aldermen, which consists of a mayor and four aldermen, serves as the governing body.


http://yaleherald.com/news/around-town-alderman-rodriguez-bu...

Around Town: Alderman Rodriguez busted for drunk driving on Yale campus


Thomas LANGRELL
City of Ottawa, Canada
Town Alderman, Contractor, Chief of Police
also, Joseph LANGRELL from County Wicklow, Ireland to Alfred, Prescott County, Ontario, Canada



http://www.bytown.net/langrellthomas.htm

Thomas LANGRELL
City of Ottawa, Canada
Town Alderman, Contractor, Chief of Police
also, Joseph LANGRELL from County Wicklow, Ireland to Alfred, Prescott County, Ontario, Canada

May 30, 2008:
Source: The History of the Ottawa Police, 1826-1993, Gilles M. Larochelle, 1994, Limited Edition, Published by Tyrell Press Ltd., page 29

--- see this site for a short bio of Chief Constable Thomas Langrell, town alderman, builder, Overseer of Improvements for the city of Ottawa, 1853 ---



http://steventill.com/2009/09/11/medieval-history-term-of-th...

Alderman
[awl-der-muhn]
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English ealdorman, from ealdor parent (from eald old) + man — more at old

1) The Anglo-Saxon ealdorman (meaning “chief man”) was an officer of the king who was essentially leader of a shire, which included the presidency of the shire court...the name survived for two types of town official, of far lesser status yet important locally.

2) Derived from O.E. ealdorman and surviving in urban usage to describe the holder of a senior civic office. Two main usages are (I) the chief officer of a guild: occurs in the earlier Middle Ages and later in surviving merchant guilds; (II) the member of a town council, particularly an upper council: increasingly common in the later Middle Ages, probably under London influence. (Reynolds, Susan. An Introduction to the History of English Medieval Towns, 197)

The following is an excerpt from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle:

A.D. 1007. In this year was the tribute paid to the hostile army; that was, 30,000 pounds. In this year also was Edric appointed alderman over all the kingdom of the Mercians.