List of mayors of Saginaw, Michigan facts for kids

A mayor is like the main leader of a city, similar to how a principal leads a school. They help make important decisions about how the city runs, working with a group called the city council. This list tells you about all the people who have been mayors of Saginaw, Michigan, from its early days as two separate towns to the unified city it is today. Learning about these leaders helps us understand the history of Saginaw and how its government has changed over time.

Early Mayors: East Saginaw (1859-1889)

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

Uniting Cities: The 1889 City Charter

In 1889, the state of Michigan decided to combine the cities of East Saginaw and Saginaw into one larger city, which was still called Saginaw. A new set of rules, or "City Charter," was created for this new, bigger city. This charter said that the mayor would be elected by the people. There would also be a city council with 21 members, called aldermen, who were elected from different parts of the city called wards.

New Rules: The 1913 City Charter

In 1909, the state of Michigan passed a law allowing cities to create their own rules, or "Charters." This is called "Home Rule". Because of this, in 1913, the people of Saginaw voted to adopt a new City Charter. This new charter set up a "Commission form of government". This meant that a group of commissioners, including the mayor, would lead the city. This new system started on January 1, 1914.

Modern Mayors: The 1936 City Charter

Saginaw's current City Charter started on January 6, 1936. Under these rules, the mayor of Saginaw serves for two years. The City Council chooses the mayor from among its own members. This happens at their first meeting after a regular municipal election, which takes place in November of odd-numbered years. The first city council under this charter met on January 6, 1936, and chose a mayor to serve until after the 1937 election. Elections used to be in April from 1937 to 1971, but then they were moved 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 form of government (City Charter of 1936).
	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	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	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	His term was longer because elections moved from April to November during his time as mayor.
	William F. Nelson Jr.	November 13, 1973	November 10, 1975
	Raymond M. Tortora	November 10, 1975	November 14, 1977
	Joe Stephens	November 14, 1977	November 12, 1979	Second African-American person to serve as Mayor.
	Vacant	November 12, 1979	December 10, 1979	The city council couldn't 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.
	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. 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	A change in election timing meant he was the only mayor under this charter to serve a three-year term.
	Floyd Kloc	2018	2019
	Brenda Moore	2020	Incumbent

See also

• Government of Saginaw, Michigan
• Saginaw, Michigan