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List of mayors of Erie, Pennsylvania facts for kids

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Erie City Hall
Erie City Hall is where the mayor and other city leaders work.

This article is about the people who have served as the mayor of the city of Erie, located in northwestern Pennsylvania. The mayor is the top leader of the city government.

Erie's city government has a mayor and a city council. The mayor's office also includes an elected city treasurer (who handles money) and a city controller (who checks the city's finances). For the first nine years that Erie was a city, the mayor was also the head of the Select Council.

What Does a Mayor Do?

The mayor is like the chief executive officer of the city. They are in charge of making sure the city runs smoothly. This includes things like public safety, city services, and managing the city's budget. They work with the city council to make decisions that help Erie grow and improve for everyone who lives there.

How Mayors Are Chosen

For a long time, mayors in Erie could only serve one two-year term. But this changed in 1890. After that, mayors could serve for three years, and there was no limit to how many terms they could have. A great example of this is Mayor Louis J. Tullio. He was mayor for eight terms in a row, from 1966 to 1989! This shows how much trust the people of Erie had in him.

Erie's Current Mayor

The current mayor of Erie is Joseph Schember. He started his term on January 2, 2018, and is still serving the city today. He is the 48th mayor of Erie.

A Look at Past Mayors

Many different people have served as mayor of Erie over the years. Each mayor has helped shape the city in their own way. Here are some of the more recent mayors and a very important long-serving one:

# Name Term Party Notes
48 Joseph Schember January 2, 2018– present Democratic Current mayor
47 Joseph E. Sinnott January 2, 2006–January 2, 2018 Democratic
46 Richard E. Filippi 2002–2006 Democratic
45 Joyce A. Savocchio 1990–2002 Democratic
* Patricia Liebel November 12, 1989–1990 Democratic Served as Acting mayor
44 Louis J. Tullio 1966–November 12, 1989 Democratic Served for 8 terms, longest-serving mayor

Before Mayors: The Burgesses

Before Erie became a city in 1851, it was a "borough." From 1805 until 1850, the leader of the Borough of Erie was called a "burgess." The title of mayor has been used ever since Erie officially became a city on April 14, 1851. The burgess had a similar role to a mayor, leading the local government.

Here are some of the people who served as burgess before Erie had mayors:

Name Starting Year Ending Year Notes
B. B. Vincent 1850 1850 Last burgess of Erie
Alexander W. Brewster 1849 1849
Charles W. Kelso 1848 1848
William Kelley 1846 1847
Charles W. Kelso 1845 1845
Thomas H. Sill 1843 1844
Thomas Stewart 1842 1842
Rufus S. Reed 1841 1841
Myron Goodwin 1840 1840
William Kelley 1839 1839
James L. White 1838 1838
J. B. Laughead 1836 1837
Joseph M. Sterrett 1834 1835
Thomas H. Sill 1833 1833
Tabor Beebe 1832 1832 Acted for Forster
Thomas Forster 1832 1832 Elected but did not serve
George A. Eliot 1831 1831
William Johns 1830 1830
Thomas H. Sill 1829 1829
Tabor Beebe 1828 1828
John C. Wallace 1825 1827
John Morris 1822 1824
Judah Colt 1820 1821
George Moore 1818 1819
Thomas H. Sill 1816 1817
George Moore 1814 1815
Judah Colt 1813 1813
Samuel Hays 1812 1812
John C. Wallace 1810 1811
George Buehler 1808 1809
Thomas Wilson 1807 1807
John C. Wallace May 5, 1806 1806
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List of mayors of Erie, Pennsylvania Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.