Mayor of Cleveland facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Cleveland
Seal of City of Cleveland
Incumbent Justin Bibb since January 3, 2022
Style	The Honorable
Seat	Cleveland City Hall
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Constituting instrument	Cleveland City Charter
Inaugural holder	John W. Willey
Formation	March 6, 1836
Salary	$140,888.56 (in 2017)
Website	Office of the Mayor

The mayor of Cleveland is the main leader of the City of Cleveland, Ohio. Think of the mayor as the city's chief executive officer. They are in charge of all city services. This includes things like police, fire, parks, and keeping the city running smoothly.

The mayor makes sure that the city's rules (called ordinances) and the laws of Ohio are followed. The mayor's office is located at Cleveland City Hall. Since 1836, Cleveland has had 54 different mayors. The current mayor is Justin Bibb.

Cleveland's Mayors: A Look at History

Cleveland was founded by General Moses Cleaveland in 1796. It started as a small settlement. In 1814, it became a village. Back then, the top leader was called the village president. Alfred Kelley was the first person elected to this role in 1815.

When Cleveland officially became a city in 1836, it changed its government style. It adopted a system where a mayor leads the city. John W. Willey became Cleveland's very first mayor.

How the Mayor's Job Changed Over Time

At first, the Cleveland City Council had more power than the mayor. But in 1892, a new plan called the "Federal Plan" was adopted. This plan gave the mayor much more power.

Later, in 1902, this plan was found to be against the law by the Supreme Court of Ohio. So, the mayor's powers were reduced again. However, in 1912, Ohio gave Cleveland "home rule." This meant the city could make more of its own rules. Because of this, the mayor's role became stronger once more in 1913.

For a short time, from 1924 to 1931, Cleveland tried a different government style. It was called a "council-manager government." In this system, the city council chose a city manager to run things. But in 1931, voters decided to go back to the mayor-council system.

Elections and Term Lengths

For many years, mayoral elections in Cleveland were partisan. This means candidates ran as members of a political party, like Democrats or Republicans. But in 1971, the city changed its rules. Elections became nonpartisan. This means candidates do not run as part of a political party.

The mayor's term in office used to be two years. But in 1981, under Mayor George Voinovich, it was changed to four years. Currently, there are no limits on how many terms a mayor can serve.

Village Presidents (1815–1835)

Before Cleveland became a city, it was a village. Here are some of its early leaders.

Alfred Kelley was elected the first village president of Cleveland in June 1815

Mayors of Cleveland (Since 1836)

Here is a list of the people who have served as mayor of Cleveland since it became a city.

John W. Willey, the first mayor of Cleveland

#	Image	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Terms		Party
1		John W. Willey	March 6, 1836	December 31, 1837	2		Democratic
2		Joshua Mills	January 1, 1838	December 31, 1839	2		Whig
3		Nicholas Dockstader	January 1, 1840	December 31, 1840	1		Whig
4		John W. Allen	January 1, 1841	December 31, 1841	1		Whig
5		Joshua Mills	January 1, 1842	December 31, 1842	1		Whig
6		Nelson Hayward	January 1, 1843	December 31, 1843	1		Democratic
7		Samuel Starkweather	January 1, 1844	December 31, 1845	2		Democratic
8		George Hoadley	January 1, 1846	December 31, 1846	1		None
9		Josiah A. Harris	January 1, 1847	December 31, 1847	1		Whig
10		Lorenzo A. Kelsey	January 1, 1848	December 31, 1848	1		Democratic
11		Flavel W. Bingham	January 1, 1849	December 31, 1849	1		Whig
12		William Case	January 1, 1850	December 31, 1851	2		Whig
13		Abner C. Brownell	January 1, 1852	December 31, 1854	3		Democratic
14		William B. Castle	January 1, 1855	December 31, 1856	2		Republican
15		Samuel Starkweather	January 1, 1857	December 31, 1858	2		Democratic
16		George B. Senter	January 1, 1859	December 31, 1860	2		Republican
17		Edward S. Flint	January 1, 1861	December 31, 1862	2		Democratic
18		Irvine U. Masters	January 1, 1863	May 1864	2		Republican
19		George B. Senter	May 1864	December 31, 1864	1⁄2		Republican
20		Herman M. Chapin	January 1, 1865	December 31, 1866	1		None
21		Stephen Buhrer	January 1, 1867	December 31, 1870	1		Democratic
22		Frederick W. Pelton	January 1, 1871	December 31, 1872	1		Republican
23		Charles A. Otis	January 1, 1873	December 31, 1874	1		Democratic
24		Nathan P. Payne	January 1, 1875	December 31, 1876	1		Democratic
25		William G. Rose	January 1, 1877	December 31, 1878	1		Republican
26		Rensselaer R. Herrick	January 1, 1879	December 31, 1882	2		Republican
27		John H. Farley	January 1, 1883	December 31, 1884	1		Democratic
28		George W. Gardner	January 1, 1885	December 31, 1886	1		Republican
29		Brenton D. Babcock	January 1, 1887	December 31, 1888	1		Democratic
30		George W. Gardner	January 1, 1889	December 31, 1890	1		Republican
31		William G. Rose	January 1, 1891	December 31, 1892	1		Republican
32		Robert Blee	January 1, 1893	December 31, 1894	1		Democratic
33		Robert E. McKisson	January 1, 1895	December 31, 1898	2		Republican
34		John H. Farley	January 1, 1899	December 31, 1900	1		Democratic
35		Tom L. Johnson	January 1, 1901	December 31, 1909	5		Democratic
36		Herman C. Baehr	January 1, 1910	December 31, 1911	1		Republican
37		Newton D. Baker	January 1, 1912	December 31, 1915	2		Democratic
38		Harry L. Davis	January 1, 1916	December 31, 1919	2		Republican
39		William S. Fitzgerald	January 1, 1920	December 31, 1921	1		Republican
40		Fred Kohler	January 1, 1922	December 31, 1923	1		Republican
41		William R. Hopkins	January 1, 1924	December 31, 1929	3		Republican
42		Daniel E. Morgan	January 1, 1930	December 31, 1931	1		Republican
43		Ray T. Miller	January 1, 1932	December 31, 1933	1		Democratic
44		Harry L. Davis	January 1, 1934	December 31, 1935	1		Republican
45		Harold H. Burton	January 1, 1936	January 2, 1941	2 1⁄2		Republican
46		Edward J. Blythin	January 3, 1941	December 31, 1941	1⁄2		Republican
47		Frank Lausche	January 1, 1942	December 31, 1945	2		Democratic
48		Thomas A. Burke	January 1, 1946	December 31, 1953	4		Democratic
49		Anthony J. Celebrezze	January 1, 1954	December 31, 1961	4		Democratic
50		Ralph S. Locher	January 1, 1962	December 31, 1967	3		Democratic
51		Carl Stokes	January 1, 1968	December 31, 1971	2		Democratic
52		Ralph Perk	January 2, 1972	December 31, 1977	3		Republican
53		Dennis Kucinich	January 1, 1978	December 31, 1979	1		Democratic
54		George Voinovich	January 1, 1980	December 31, 1989	3		Republican
55		Michael R. White	January 1, 1990	December 31, 2001	3		Democratic
56		Jane L. Campbell	January 1, 2002	December 31, 2005	1		Democratic
57		Frank G. Jackson	January 2, 2006	January 2, 2022	4		Democratic
58		Justin M. Bibb	January 3, 2022	Incumbent	1		Democratic

Mayors Who Served the Longest

Here are the mayors who served the most years in office.

Mayors of Ohio City (1836–1854)

Before 1854, Ohio City was a separate town. It was a big rival of Cleveland. In 1854, Ohio City became part of Cleveland. Here are its mayors before that happened.

See also

• Cleveland City Council
• County Executive of Cuyahoga County, Ohio