List of mayors of Chico, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mayor of Chico |
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![]() Seal of Chico
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Term length | 4 years |
Formation | 1923 |
First holder | Clarence Colin Richardson |
The Mayor of Chico, California is like the main leader of the city's government. They are the head of the Chico City Council, which is a group of people who make important decisions for the city. Chico uses a special way of governing called a council-manager system. This means the City Council hires a professional manager to run the city's daily operations.
The City Council meets for the first time after elections in early December every two years. At this meeting, the council members choose one of themselves to be the Mayor. The Mayor serves for two years. Being a mayor in Chico is a non-political party job, meaning they don't represent a specific political party. If the Mayor and the Vice Mayor (the second-in-command) are both away, the Council can pick another member to be the temporary Mayor, called a Mayor Pro Tempore.
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Early Leaders: Presidents of the Board of Trustees (1872–1923)
Chico officially became a city on January 8, 1872. In that year, the first group of city leaders was formed, called the Chico Board of Trustees. This group was the early version of today's City Council. The person in charge of this board was called its President, and they acted like the mayor.
The first city election was on February 5, 1872. People voted for trustees who represented the whole city. Elections happened every year, and a trustee served for two years. The President of the board was chosen by the other members of the board.
Later, in 1897, the city started having elections where people voted for leaders from specific areas, or "wards," instead of the whole city. By 1899, city elections were held every two years.
Name | Started Term | Ended Term |
George W. Dorn | 1872 | 1873 |
Hiram Batchelder | 1873 | 1876 |
Charles Ball | 1876 | 1879 |
Newman Johnson | 1879 | 1882 |
Charles Ball | 1882 | 1885 |
George Snook | 1885 | 1886 |
James Davison | 1886 | 1888 |
Michael Mery | 1888 | 1889 |
John Wayland | 1889 | 1890 |
Michael Mery | 1890 | 1891 |
Jonas Hoyl | 1891 | 1892 |
George Snook | 1892 | 1894 |
Frederick C. Williams | 1895 | 1897 |
J. Ellis Rodley | 1897 | 1899 |
Oliver Lovell Clark | 1899 | 1907 |
William Robbie | 1907 | 1919 |
Sherman Reynolds | 1919 | 1923 |
Mayors of Chico (1923–1996)
In 1921, Chico held an election to create a new City Charter, which is like a city's constitution. On April 16, 1923, under this new charter, elections went back to voting for leaders from the whole city. The Board of Trustees was renamed the Chico City Council, and its leader was officially given the title of Mayor.
Name | Started Term | Ended Term |
Clarence Colin Richardson | 1923 | 1927 |
Archie Robert Waters | 1927 | 1929 |
Stephen Levi Bainbridge | 1929 | 1933 |
Othel Kilpatric | 1933 | 1935 |
John Vaughan | 1935 | 1937 |
Stephen Levi Bainbridge | 1937 | 1938 |
Thomas Richards | 1938 | 1939 |
Frank William Seydel | 1939 | 1941 |
E.L. Meyers | 1941 | 1943 |
Earl Bevins | 1943 | 1949 |
Ted Meriam | 1949 | 1957 |
Ross Lawler | 1961 | 1963 |
Harry McGowan | 1963 | 1967 |
Gordon Casamajor | 1967 | 1971 |
William Nichols | 1971 | 1973 |
Eugene Ringel | 1973 | 1975 |
Ronald Stewart | 1975 | 1977 |
James Evans | 1979 | 1981 |
Margaret Worley | 1981 | 1983 |
Karl Ory | 1983 | 1985 |
Georgie Willis | 1985 | 1986 |
Charles Nelson | 1986 | 1988 |
Shelton Enochs | 1988 | 1990 |
Mary Andrews | 1990 | 1992 |
James Owens | 1992 | 1994 |
Michael McGinnis | 1994 | 1996 |
Temporary Mayors (1996–1997)
In 1996, something unusual happened. A council member named Ted Hubert, who was also the Vice Mayor, passed away before he could be sworn in again. This happened before the new mayor was chosen. The City Council was split and couldn't agree on who should be the next mayor.
Because of this, for about six months, the council members took turns being the temporary Mayor, called "Mayor Pro Tempore." They each served for about two weeks. This continued until a new council member was appointed, and then a new mayor was chosen.
Name |
Rick Keene |
David Guzzetti |
Kimberly King |
Steve Bertagna |
Coleen Jarvis |
Mary Andrews |
Mayors of Chico (1997–Present)
Here are the Mayors of Chico from 1997 to today:
Name | Started Term | Ended Term |
Rick Keene | 1997 | 1998 |
Steve Bertagna | 1998 | 2000 |
Dan Herbert | 2000 | 2002 |
Maureen Kirk | 2002 | 2004 |
Scott Gruendl | 2004 | 2006 |
Andrew Holcombe | 2006 | 2008 |
Ann Schwab | 2008 | 2010 |
Ann Schwab | 2010 | 2012 |
Mary Goloff | 2012 | August 6, 2013 |
Scott Gruendl | August 6, 2013 | December 2014 |
Mark Sorensen | December 2014 | December 2016 |
Sean Morgan | December 2016 | December 2018 |
Randall Stone | December 2018 | March 2020 |
Ann Schwab | March 25, 2020 | December 2020 |
Andrew Coolidge | December 8, 2020 | December 4, 2024 |
Kasey Reynolds | December 4, 2024 | Current |