The Mayor of Seattle is the
head of the executive branch of the
city government of
Seattle, Washington. The mayor is authorized by the
city charter to enforce laws enacted by the
Seattle City Council, as well as direct subordinate officers in city departments.
(The
Seattle City Council, the legislative branch of city government, is led by the council president.)
The mayor serves a four-year term, without
term limits, and is chosen in citywide,
two-round elections between
nonpartisan
Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party.
While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers sp ...
candidates.
Since the appointment of
Henry A. Atkins in 1869, 56 individuals have held the office of mayor. The city elected
Bertha Knight Landes
Bertha Ethel Knight Landes (October 19, 1868, – November 29, 1943) was the first female mayor of a major American city, serving as mayor of Seattle, Washington from 1926 to 1928. After years of civic activism, primarily with women's organiz ...
, the first female mayor of a major U.S. city, in 1926. Several mayors have served non-consecutive terms, while others have resigned or faced
recall elections.
Charles Royer
Charles T. Royer (born August 22, 1939) is an American news reporter and politician who served as the 48th mayor of Seattle, Washington (U.S. state), Washington from 1978 to 1990. After serving as mayor of Seattle, Royer became the director of t ...
holds the record for longest mayoral tenure in the city's history, serving three full terms from 1978 to 1990.
took office as mayor on January 1st, 2022 becoming the first Asian-American and second African-American Mayor in Seattle's History.
History
Seattle was initially incorporated as a
town on January 14, 1865, by the
Washington Territorial Legislature, governed by a
board of trustees
A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organiz ...
.
Charles C. Terry served as president of the board of trustees, which remained unchanged until the town's disincorporation on January 28, 1867.
The town of Seattle was incorporated a second time on December 2, 1869, with a new
city charter that established the position of mayor.
Henry A. Atkins was appointed as the first mayor of Seattle by the Territorial Legislature, and was elected to the office on July 11, 1870.
A new city charter, the Freeholders Charter, was adopted in 1890 and extended the mayor's term in office from one year to two years, but barred consecutive terms.
The charter also moved elections to the first Monday in March and required the mayor to be at least 30 years of age and live within the city for two years.
A new city charter that was approved by the city's voters in 1946 lengthened the term of office for mayors from two years to four years, starting with the 1948 elections.
In 1969 the age and residence requirements were removed from the charter.
Duties and powers
The mayor is the head of the executive branch of Seattle's municipal government, charged with the appointment and management of 25 department and commission heads that work directly for the mayor. In the event of an absence of the mayor, the president of the
Seattle City Council assumes the duties of the position as mayor pro tem until their return, but a notification is not necessary under the city charter.
Elections and succession
The mayor is elected in a citywide election held every four years, composed of
two stages: a primary election in August and a general election between the top two candidates in November. Elections are officially non-partisan.
If the office of mayor becomes vacant, the president of the city council becomes mayor for a five-day period to immediately fill the position. If the president of the city council declines to remain mayor, the city council is authorized to vote to appoint a councilmember to the role of mayor. The councilmember appointed to the position under both scenarios will forfeit their position on the city council until the next election. A mayor-elect can also take office earlier than the official inauguration date (January 1), upon certification of the election results and a decision by the city council to replace the appointed mayor.
A two-thirds majority vote of the city council can remove the mayor from office for a willful violation of duty or an offense involving moral turpitude.
List of mayors
Other offices held
Several of Seattle's mayors have held other political offices in the state and federal government, both before and after their terms.
:
Living former mayors
, eight former mayors are alive, the oldest being
Wesley C. Uhlman
Wesley Carl Uhlman (born March 23, 1935) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 47th mayor of Seattle, Washington.
Early life and education
Uhlman was born in Cashmere, Washington. He attended Aberdeen High School, Seattle Pacif ...
(born in 1935). The most recent former mayor to die was
Paul Schell, in 2014.
References
External links
Mayors of the City of Seattle Seattle City Archives
from ''
The Seattle Times''
{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Mayors Of Seattle
Seattle
History of Seattle