List of mayors of Saginaw, Michigan facts for kids

This page tells you about the mayors of Saginaw, Michigan. A mayor is the main leader of a city, like a president for a country, but for a city! They help make important decisions and lead the city council. This list shows the people who have served as mayor in Saginaw throughout its history.

Mayors of East Saginaw (1859–1889)

The city of East Saginaw was officially created in 1859. It existed as a separate city until 1889, when it joined with the City of Saginaw. The state government gave East Saginaw its own set of rules, called a City Charter. Mayors were chosen for one year at a time.

Mayors Under the 1889 City Charter

In 1889, the cities of East Saginaw and Saginaw officially joined together. This was done by a law passed by the Michigan state government. The new, combined city was also called Saginaw. This new City Charter allowed for a mayor chosen by voters and a city council with 21 members called aldermen. These aldermen were elected from different areas, or wards, of the city.

Mayors Under the 1913 City Charter

In 1909, the Legislature of Michigan passed a law called the Home Rule Cities Act. This law allowed cities to create and adopt their own rules, or Charters. In 1913, the people of Saginaw voted to adopt a new Charter. This new system was called the Commission form of government. It started on January 1, 1914, when the new mayor and commissioners took office.

Mayors Under the 1936 City Charter

Saginaw's current City Charter started on January 6, 1936. Under these rules, the mayor serves for two years. The City Council chooses the mayor from among its own members. This happens at the first meeting after a regular city election. These elections take place in November of odd-numbered years. The first city council under this Charter started on January 6, 1936. They chose a mayor to serve until after the 1937 election. Elections were held in April from 1937 to 1971, then changed to November.

Image	Mayor	Start of term	End of term	Notes
	Frank Marxer	January 6, 1936	April 12, 1937	First mayor under the Council-Manager system (1936 City Charter).
	Francis J. McDonald	April 12, 1937	April 10, 1939
	John W. Symons Jr.	April 10, 1939	April 14, 1941
	William J. Brydges	April 14, 1941	April 12, 1943
	Eric F. Wieneke	April 12, 1943	April 9, 1945
	Harold J. Stenglein	April 9, 1945	April 11, 1949	Served two terms as mayor. He was the first mayor to serve more than one term.
	Edwin W. Koepke	April 11, 1949	April 9, 1951
	William R. Hart	April 9, 1951	April 13, 1953
	George H. Fischer	April 13, 1953	April 11, 1955
	Maurice E. Brown	April 11, 1955	April 8, 1957
R. James Harvey	R. James Harvey	April 8, 1957	April 13, 1959
	R. Dewey Stearns	April 13, 1959	April 10, 1961
	G. Stewart Francke	April 10, 1961	April 12, 1965	Served two terms as mayor.
	James W. Stenglein	April 12, 1965	April 10, 1967
Henry G. Marsh	Henry G. Marsh	April 10, 1967	April 14, 1969	First African-American person to serve as Mayor.
	Warren C. Light	April 14, 1969	April 12, 1971
	Paul H. Wendler	April 12, 1971	November 13, 1973	Served a longer term because elections moved from April to November during his time.
	William F. Nelson Jr.	November 13, 1973	November 10, 1975
Raymond M. Tortora	Raymond M. Tortora	November 10, 1975	November 14, 1977
Joe Stephens	Joe Stephens	November 14, 1977	November 12, 1979	Second African-American person to serve as Mayor.
	Vacant	November 12, 1979	December 10, 1979	The council could not agree on a mayor for almost a month.
	Paul P. Prudhomme	December 10, 1979	November 9, 1981
	Ronald M. Bushey	November 9, 1981	November 14, 1983
	Lawrence D. Crawford	November 14, 1983	November 9, 1987	Served two terms as mayor. Third African-American person to serve as Mayor.
	Delbert J. Schrems	November 9, 1987	November 13, 1989
	Henry H. Nickleberry	November 13, 1989	November 8, 1993	Served two terms as mayor.
	Gary L. Loster	November 8, 1993	November 12, 2001	Served four terms as mayor. Fourth African-American person to serve as Mayor. He is the only mayor under the 1936 charter to serve more than two terms.
	Wilmer Jones Ham	November 12, 2001	November 14, 2005	Served two terms as mayor. She was the first female and first African-American female to serve as mayor. Her son, Darvin Ham, played in the NBA.
	Carol B. Cottrell	November 14, 2005	November 12, 2007
	Joyce J. Seals	November 12, 2007	November 9, 2009	Second African-American female to serve as mayor.
	Greg Branch	November 9, 2009	November 11, 2013	Served two terms as mayor.
	Dennis Browning	November 11, 2013	2018	An election schedule change in 2013 meant Browning was the only mayor under this charter to serve a three-year term. His first term ended on November 14, 2016.
	Floyd Kloc	2018	2019
	Brenda Moore	2020	Incumbent

See also

• Government of Saginaw, Michigan
• Saginaw, Michigan