Mayor of Charlottesville
The mayor of Charlottesville serves as the president of the City Council, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Charlottesville.
The Mayor’s Role in Municipal Government
In Charlottesville, the mayor is not directly elected by the public. Instead, the five-member City Council selects one of its members to serve as mayor for a two-year term. This arrangement is part of the city’s council–manager form of government, which has been in place since 1928.
Under this system, the mayor’s role is largely ceremonial and procedural. The mayor presides over City Council meetings, represents the city at official functions, and serves as a public figurehead, but holds no greater legal authority than other council members. The mayor is considered first among equals on the council and retains full voting rights.
The City Council functions as the city’s legislative body, while executive authority rests with the appointed City Manager, who is responsible for implementing council policies and managing day-to-day municipal operations. The City Manager is hired by, and serves at the pleasure of, a majority of the City Council.
When the City Manager needs to communicate urgent or sensitive information to the council, the mayor is often the first point of contact, though the manager may also communicate directly with individual councilors. Such information may include an officer-involved shooting, the resignation of a department head, the threat of litigation, or a significant workplace safety incident.
The City Council has the authority to discipline the mayor in their role as council president, including imposing a fine or voting to remove the individual from the office of mayor. [1]
Selection Process
The mayor of Charlottesville is selected by the City Council from among its members in accordance with the Charter of the City of Charlottesville. The selection occurs at the council’s organizational meeting following a council election or at another meeting designated by the council.
The mayor serves a two-year term as president of the City Council and may be selected for consecutive terms. The Charter does not grant the mayor executive authority distinct from other council members, nor does it provide veto power or unilateral appointment authority. The mayor retains the same voting rights as other councilors.
The City Council may remove a sitting mayor from the office of mayor by majority vote, while the individual may continue to serve as a council member unless otherwise removed under applicable law. [2]
History
Charlottesville was chartered in 1762 as the county seat of Albemarle County and incorporated as a town in 1801. In 1851, the Virginia General Assembly amended the town’s charter to provide for the election of a mayor and aldermen. The first election of a mayor and four aldermen was held on February 28, 1852.
Charlottesville was incorporated as a city in 1888. That year, R. F. Harris was elected the city’s first mayor. [3]
Forms of Municipal Government
Prior to September 1, 1922, Charlottesville operated under a strong mayor–council system. In this form of government, the mayor—elected at-large—served as the city’s chief executive, while the council, elected from four wards, served as the legislative body.
With the 1922 election, the city abandoned ward-based council elections and the at-large election of the mayor. From 1922 to 1928, Charlottesville operated under a commission–manager form of government, in which a three-member commission exercised both legislative and executive authority and selected one member to serve as mayor. [4]
Since 1928, Charlottesville has operated under the council–manager form of government. Under this system, five council members are elected at-large and select one member to serve as mayor. The mayor possesses no executive authority independent of the City Council. [5]
List of Mayors
The method of selecting the mayor and the structure of municipal government in Charlottesville changed significantly in 1922. As a result, mayors serving prior to 1922 held a distinct executive office, while mayors serving since 1922 have been selected from among the City Council and serve primarily as presiding officers.
Charlottesville Mayors (Pre-1922)
The following is a list of mayors of Charlottesville, Virginia, prior to the adoption of the Commission-Manager government in 1922. This includes mayors of the town (pre-1888) and the city (post-1888), with information on their method of election and the council structure during their term.
| # | Term | Mayor | Method of Election | Council Structure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 25, 1870 | N. H. Massie | Elected by the Town Council | Town Council appointed by the Governor; Mayor/President of Council elected by the Council. | First mayor elected after Charlottesville reorganized its government during Reconstruction | |
| 1 | 1875–Oct 30, 1888 | R. F. Harris | Elected by the Town Council; subsequently elected at-large by voters | At-large elected Town Council; Mayor/President of Council elected by the Council | Oversaw commercial and industrial expansion; resigned due to health; succeeded by Samuel B. Woods |
| 2 | Oct 30, 1888–1889 | Samuel B. Woods | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council (4 wards, 3 representatives per ward) | First mayor after Charlottesville became a city under the 1888 charter |
| 3 | 1889 | Samuel B. Woods | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |
| 4 | 1890 | ||||
| 5 | 1891 | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |||
| 6 | 1892 | L. T. Hanckel | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |
| 7 | 1893 | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |||
| 8 | 1894 | John S. Patton | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |
| 9 | 1895 | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |||
| 10 | 1896 | J. Samuel McCue | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |
| 11 | 1897 | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |||
| 12 | 1898 | J. Samuel McCue | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |
| 13 | 1899 | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | ||
| 14 | 1900 | J. Samuel McCue | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | First mayor under 1899-1900 charter |
| 15 | 1901 | ||||
| 16 | 1902 | J. Samuel McCue | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | Mayor as chief executive; council held monthly meetings |
| 1903 | |||||
| 17 | 1904 | George W. Olivier | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |
| 18 | 1905 | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | ||
| 19 | 1906 | George W. Olivier | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |
| 20 | 1907 | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | ||
| 21 | 1908 | E. G. Haden | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |
| 22 | 1909 | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | ||
| 23 | 1910 | E. G. Haden | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | |
| 24 | 1911 | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | ||
| 25 | 1912 | A. V. Conway | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | Mayor as chief executive; council organized annually on Sept 1 |
| 26 | 1913 | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | Mayor became Business Manager, handling executive duties | |
| 27 | 1914 | A. V. Conway | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | Mayor/Business Manager system continued |
| 28 | 1916 | Elected at-large by voters | 12-member City Council, 4 wards | Last mayor under single-chamber council system before bicameral government | |
| 29 | 1916 | E. G. Haden | Elected at-large by voters | Bicameral city council: Board of Aldermen (4) + Common Council (8), wards represented, staggered 2-year terms | Presided over joint council meetings |
| 1917 | |||||
| 30 | 1918 | E. G. Haden | Elected at-large by voters | Bicameral city council | |
| 31 | 1919 | Elected at-large by voters | Bicameral city council | ||
| 32 | 1920 | B. E. Wheeler | Elected at-large by voters | Bicameral city council | |
| 33 | 1921 | W. M. Forrest | Elected at-large by voters | Bicameral city council | |
| 34 | 1922 | Elected at-large by voters | Commission-Manager government; mayor elected by council after 1922 | Last mayor elected directly by voters before new charter |
Council Presidents Serving as Mayor (1922–Present)
Dates reflect documented term transitions; early terms began September 1, while later transitions occurred in July or January following charter or council practice changes.
| Form | # | Council President (mayor) | Term start | Term end | Terms | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commission | 1 | John R. Morris | September 1, 1922 | September 3, 1923 | 1 | Democratic |
| Commission | 2 | E. A. Joachim | September 3, 1923 | |||
| Commission | 3 | J. Y. Brown | September 1, 1924 | August 31, 1930 | 3 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 4 | Fred L. Watson | September 1, 1930 | August 31, 1932 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 5 | F. W. Twyman | September 1, 1932 | August 31, 1934 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 6 | W. Dan Haden | September 1, 1934 | August 31, 1938 | 3 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 7 | George T. Huff | September 1, 1938 | August 31, 1940 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | (6) | W. Dan Haden | September 1, 1940 | August 31, 1942 | 3 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | J. E. Gleason | September 1, 1942 | August 31, 1944 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Roscoe S. Adams | September 1, 1944 | August 31, 1946 | 2 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Gus K. Tebell | September 1, 1948 | August 31, 1950 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Strother F. Hamm | September 1, 1950 | August 31, 1952 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | William R. Hill | September 1, 1952 | August 31, 1954 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Sol B. Weinberg | September 1, 1954 | August 31, 1956 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | R. M. Davis | September 1, 1956 | August 31, 1958 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Thomas J. Michie | September 1, 1958 | August 31, 1960 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Louis L. Scribner | September 1, 1960 | August 31, 1962 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Bernard J. Haggerty | September 1, 1962 | August 31, 1964 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Lindsey B. Mount | September 1, 1964 | August 31, 1966 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Burkett A. Reynolds | September 1, 1966 | August 31, 1968 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | "Dutch" Vogt | September 1, 1968 | August 31, 1970 | 1 | Republican | |
| Council-Manager | Mitchell Van Yahres | September 1, 1970 | August 31, 1972 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Francis H. Fife | July 1, 1972 | June 30, 1974 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Charles Barbour | July 1, 1974 | June 30, 1976 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Nancy K. O'Brien | July 1, 1976 | June 30, 1978 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Laurence Brunton | July 1, 1978 | June 30, 1980 | 1 | Republican | |
| Council-Manager | Frank Buck | July 1, 1980 | August 31, 1988 | 4 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | "Bitsy" Waters | September 1, 1988 | August 31, 1990 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Alvin Edwards | September 1, 1990 | August 31, 1992 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Tom Vandever | September 1, 1992 | August 31, 1994 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | David Toscano | September 1, 1994 | August 31, 1996 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Kay Slaughter | September 1, 1996 | August 31, 1998 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Virginia Daugherty | July 1, 1998 | July 3, 2000 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Blake Caravati | July 3, 2000 | July 1, 2002 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Maurice Cox | July 1, 2002 | July 1, 2004 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | David Brown | July 1, 2004 | January 7, 2008 | 2 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Dave Norris | January 7, 2008 | January 3, 2012 | 2 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Satyendra Huja [6] | January 3, 2012 | December 31, 2015 | 2 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Mike Signer | January 1, 2016 | December 31, 2017 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Nikuyah Walker | January 1, 2018 | December 31, 2021 | 2 | Independent | |
| Council-Manager | Lloyd Snook | January 6, 2022 | January 2, 2024 | 1 | Democratic | |
| Council-Manager | Juandiego Wade | January 2, 2024 | 1 | Democratic | ||
References
- ↑ Web. Charlottesville mayor apologizes to City Council and residents, The Washington Post, August 30, 2017, retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ↑ Template:Cite-charter
- ↑ Web. Yesteryears: For Charlottesville's first mayor, Christmas season 1886 ended with a bang, David Maurer, Daily Progress, Lee Enterprises, retrieved December 8, 2013.
- ↑ Template:Cite-charter
- ↑ Template:Cite-charter
- ↑ Web. Charlottesville City Council meeting minutes, .pdf, Council Chambers, City of Charlottesville, January 3, 2012.
External links
Mayor of Charlottesville on wikipedia