The mayor position of Flint, Michigan is a strong mayor-type. In Flint's previous 1929 charter, the mayor was one of the City Commissioners, as the council in a council-manager type government.
1855–1888
The mayor was one of many citywide elected officers including the Recorder, Supervisor, Treasurer, Marshal, Directors of the Poor, School Inspector and Justices of the Peace. Additionally, other administrative officers were selected by wards.
Mayor |
Start of Term |
End of Term |
Notes |
Grant Decker |
1855 |
1856 |
|
Robert J. S. Page |
1856 |
1857 |
|
Henry M. Henderson |
1857 |
1858 |
|
William M. Fenton |
1858 |
1860 |
Some records show Porter Hazelton as mayor from 1859 to 1860 |
Henry H. Crapo |
1860 |
1861 |
|
Ephraim S. Williams |
1861 |
1862 |
|
William Paterson |
1862 |
1863 |
|
William Hamilton |
1863 |
1865 |
|
William B. McCreery |
1865 |
1867 |
|
Austin B. Witherbee |
1867 |
1868 |
|
Samuel M. Axford |
1868 |
1869 |
|
William S. Patrick |
1869 |
1870 |
|
James B. Walker |
1870 |
1871 |
|
David Spencer Fox |
1871 |
1873 |
|
George H. Durand |
1873 |
1875 |
|
Alexander McFarland |
1875 |
1876 |
|
William Hamilton |
1876 |
1877 |
|
Edward Hughes Thomson |
1877 |
1878 |
|
Jerome Eddy |
1878 |
1879 |
|
James C. Willson |
1879 |
1880 |
|
Zacheus Chase |
1880 |
1881 |
|
Charles A. Mason |
1881 |
1882 |
|
William A. Atwood |
1882 |
1883 |
|
George E. Newall |
1883 |
1884 |
|
William W. Joyner |
1884 |
1885 |
|
Mathew Davison |
1885 |
1886 |
|
George T. Warren |
1886 |
1887 |
|
John C. Dayton |
1887 |
1888 |
|
1888 Charter
Mayor |
Start of Term |
End of Term |
Notes |
Oren Stone |
1888 |
1889 |
|
Frank D. Baker |
1889 |
1890 |
|
William A. Paterson |
1890 |
1891 |
|
Francis H. Rankin, Jr. |
1891 |
1892 |
|
George E. Taylor |
1892 |
1893 |
|
Andrew J. Ward |
1893 |
1894 |
|
Arthur C. McCall |
1894 |
1894 |
|
John C. Zimmerman, Sr. |
1895 |
1896 |
|
Samuel C. Randall |
1896 |
1897 |
|
Milton C. Pettibone |
1897 |
1898 |
|
George R. Gold |
1898 |
1899 |
|
Hugh Alexander Crawford |
1899 |
1900 |
|
Charles A. Cummings |
1900 |
1901 |
|
Clark B. Dibble |
1901 |
1902 |
|
Austin D. Alvord |
1902 |
1904 |
|
Bruce J. McDonald |
1904 |
1905 |
|
David D. Aitken |
1905 |
1906 |
|
George E. McKinley |
1906 |
1908 |
|
Horace C. Spencer |
1908 |
1909 |
|
Guy W. Selby |
1909 |
1911 |
|
John A. C. Menton |
1911 |
1912 |
|
Charles Stewart Mott |
1912 |
1914 |
|
John R. MacDonald |
1914 |
1915 |
|
William H. McKeighan |
1915 |
1916 |
|
Earl F. Johnson |
1916 |
1917 |
|
George C. Kellar |
1917 |
1918 |
|
Charles Stewart Mott |
1918 |
1919 |
|
George C. Kellar |
1919 |
1920 |
|
Edwin W. Atwood |
1920 |
1922 |
|
William H. McKeighan |
1922 |
1923 |
|
David R. Cuthbertson |
1923 |
1924 |
|
Judson L. Transue |
1924 |
1927 |
|
William H. McKeighan |
1927 |
1928 |
|
Ray A. Brownell |
1929 |
1930 |
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Key to party colors and abbreviations for members of the U.S. Congress |
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1929 Charter
Under the 1929 charter, Flint move to a council–manager form of government with the council called the “City Commission.”
Mayor |
Start of Term |
End of Term |
Notes |
Harvey J. Mallery |
1930 |
1931 |
|
William H. McKeighan |
1931 |
1933 |
|
Ray A. Brownell |
1933 |
1934 |
|
Howard J. Clifford |
1934 |
1935 |
|
George E. Boysen |
1935 |
1936 |
|
Harold E. Bradshaw |
1936 |
1938 |
|
Harry M. Comins |
1938 |
1940 |
|
Oliver Tappin |
1940 |
1940 |
|
William Osmund Kelly |
1940 |
1944 |
|
Edwin C. McLogan |
1944 |
1946 |
|
Edward J. Viall |
1946 |
1948 |
|
George G. Wills |
1948 |
1950 |
|
Paul Lovegrove |
1950 |
1952 |
|
Donald W. Riegle, Sr. |
1952 |
1954 |
|
George M. Algoe |
1954 |
1958 |
|
Robert J. Egan |
1958 |
1960 |
|
Charles A. Mobley |
1960 |
1962 |
|
George R. Poulos |
1962 |
1964 |
|
Harry K. Cull |
1964 |
1966 |
|
Floyd J. McCree |
1966 |
1968 |
First African-American mayor |
Donald R. Cronin |
1968 |
1970 |
|
Francis E. Limmer |
1970 |
1973 |
|
Paul Calvin Visser |
1973 |
1975 |
|
1974 Charter
Under the 1974 Charter, the office of mayor is a non-partisan elected position.
Mayor |
Start of Term |
End of Term |
Administrator |
Notes |
Elections |
James W. Rutherford |
1975 |
1983 |
|
|
Year |
Votes |
opponent |
opponent's votes |
1975 |
20,679 |
Floyd J. McCree |
20,474 |
1979 |
20,738 |
Floyd J. McCree |
12,902 |
|
James A. Sharp, Jr. |
1983 |
1987 |
|
|
1983 |
21,718 |
James W. Rutherford |
20,467 |
|
Matthew S. Collier |
1987 |
1991 |
|
First elected African-American mayor
2nd African-American mayor |
1987 |
22,874 |
James A. Sharp, Jr. |
19,509 |
|
Woodrow Stanley |
1991 |
March 5, 2002 |
? (1991–2001)
Darnell Earley (2001–2002) |
3rd African-American mayor
Recalled from office in third term |
1991 |
25,946 |
Matt Collier |
17,686 |
1995 |
21,687 |
Don Williamson |
9,168 |
1999 |
17,224 |
Scott Kincaid |
16,393 |
2002 |
12,336 |
Recall |
15,863 |
|
Darnell Earley |
March 5, 2002 |
August 6, 2002 |
himself |
Temporary Mayor per City Charter
Effectively City Administrator as of July 9, 2002, due to State appointment of Emergency Financial Manager, Ed Kurtz |
James W. Rutherford |
August 6, 2002 |
2003 |
Darnell Earley |
elected to fill remainder of Stanley term; City still under State Financial Manager |
2002 |
11,239 |
Arthur J. Pointer (WI) |
4,712 |
|
Don Williamson |
2003 |
February 15, 2009 |
Peggy R. Cook (2003–2007)
Darryl Buchanan (2007–2009)
Michael Brown (2009) |
Initially under Emergency Financial Manager lifted in 2004. facing recall; resigns |
2003 |
13,906 |
Floyd Clack |
9,228 |
2007 |
12,434 |
Dayne Walling |
11,853 |
|
Michael Brown |
February 16, 2009 |
August 5, 2009 |
himself |
Temporary Mayor per City Charter |
Dayne Walling |
August 5, 2009 |
November 9, 2015 |
- Gregory Eason (August 14, 2009- December 2, 2011)
- Michael Brown (8/7/2012- July 2013)
- Natasha Henderson
|
Powers remove effective 12/1/2011 under city's financial emergency & transfer to an Emergency Manager of which several individuals served until April 30, 2015, when a Receivership Board assume some oversight. |
2009 |
12,266 |
Brenda Clack |
6,876 |
2011 |
8,819 (56%) |
Darryl Buchanan |
6,868 votes (44%) |
|
Karen Weaver |
November 9, 2015 |
November 11, 2019 |
- Natasha Henderson
- Sylvester Jones
- Steve Branch (Chief of Staff, interim)
|
under RTA Board oversight First female mayor of Flint. |
2015 |
7,825 (55%) |
Dayne Walling |
6,061 (43%) |
|
Sheldon Neeley |
November 11, 2019 |
present |
Clyde Edwards |
|
2019 |
7,082 (50.19%) |
Karen Weaver |
6,877 (48.74%) |
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