Mayor of Charlottesville
The mayor of Charlottesville is the president of the City Council, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Charlottesville. The mayor of Charlottesville as of 2022 was Lloyd Snook. [1]
The Mayor's Role in Municipal Government
In Charlottesville, the mayor is not directly elected by the public but is chosen by the City Council members, who select one of themselves to serve as mayor every two years. This process is part of the city's council-manager system, where the mayor holds a largely ceremonial role. The mayor's duties include presiding over City Council meetings and representing the city at various events, but the position does not hold significant executive power. This system has been in place since 1928, when the city adopted the council-manager form of government.
In this system, the mayor leads the City Council but has no more official authority than other council members. The City Council serves as the legislative body, while the City Manager is the executive responsible for implementing policies and managing day-to-day operations. The City Council hires the City Manager, who also acts as the council's primary policy advisor.
When the City Manager needs to communicate important information to the City Council, the mayor is typically the first contact. From there, the mayor may share the information with other council members, or the manager may do so directly. The specifics of this communication depend on the relationships between the mayor, manager, and council members. Critical information may include events like an officer-involved shooting, a department head’s resignation, rumors of an impending lawsuit, or a workplace safety incident.
The mayor is the figurehead of the council and is elected by the council for a two-year term. The council has authority to impose a fine on the mayor or even vote to remove him/her from the office of mayor. [2]Because city managers are hired, not elected, they can lose their position if a majority of the 5-member council decide it is time for a change.
History
Charlottesville was chartered in 1762 to serve as the new county seat of Albemarle County. Charlottesville incorporated as a town in 1801. In 1851, the Virginia General Assembly amended and enlarged the corporate authority of the town of Charlottesville to include election of a mayor and alderman - and who could vote. The first election of a Mayor and four aldermen of Charlottesville was held on the February 28, 1852. Charlottesville was incorporated as a city in 1888.
In 1888, R. F. Harris is elected mayor of the City of Charlottesville, the first person to hold that office. [3]
With the 1922 election, the city abandon the method of electing their mayor at-large and their councilmembers by wards. From 1922 to 1928 the city adopted the commission-manager form of government by which the three member commission was elected at-large as the legislative body; from among the commission, the commission elected the mayor. The city operated under a county-like structure with a city council vested with both legislative and executive authority with each commissioner/councilman also heading an executive department. The commission appointed a business manager
- Prior to September 1, 1922, the City of Charlottesville utilized a strong mayor-council government. In this form of municipal government, the council (elected from 4 wards) served as the city's primary legislative body while the mayor (elected at-large) served as the city's chief executive.
From 1928 to present, the city has operated under the council-manager form of government, featuring five members elected at-large, a mayor, who officially represents the city on the state, national, and international levels. However, unlike in a strong mayor-council government, the mayor is a regular voting member of city council with little or no legal privileges that may distinguish them from other council members.
List of mayors - current form of government
Since 1922, under the commission and the council-manager forms of government, the mayoralty and city council hold the same offices. The president of the council serves as mayor and is first among equals on the city council, which acts as a legislative body while executive functions are performed by the appointed city manager. The mayor chairs the city council meetings, but lacks any special legislative powers. The mayor and city council serve part-time, with day-to-day administration in the hands of a professional city manager.
- Prior to 1922, under the mayor-council system, the mayoralty and city council were separate offices.
- See also: List of City Councilors
| Form | # | Council President (mayor) | Term start | Term end | Terms | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commission | 1 | John R. Morris | September 1, 1922 | August 31, 1924 | 1 | Democratic |
| Commission | 2 | J. Y. Brown | September 1, 1924 | August 31, 1930 | 3 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 3 | Fred L. Watson | September 1, 1930 | August 31, 1932 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 4 | F. W. Twyman | September 1, 1932 | August 31, 1934 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 5 | W. Dan Haden | September 1, 1934 | August 31, 1938 | 3 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 6 | George T. Huff | September 1, 1938 | August 31, 1940 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | (5) | W. Dan Haden | September 1, 1940 | August 31, 1942 | 3 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 7 | J. E. Gleason | September 1, 1942 | August 31, 1944 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 8 | Roscoe S. Adams | September 1, 1944 | August 31, 1946 | 2 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 9 | Gus K. Tebell | September 1, 1948 | August 31, 1950 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 10 | Strother F. Hamm | September 1, 1950 | August 31, 1952 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 11 | William R. Hill | September 1, 1952 | August 31, 1954 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 12 | Sol B. Weinberg | September 1, 1954 | August 31, 1956 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 13 | R. M. Davis | September 1, 1956 | August 31, 1958 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 14 | Thomas J. Michie | September 1, 1958 | August 31, 1960 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 15 | Louis L. Scribner | September 1, 1960 | August 31, 1962 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 16 | Bernard J. Haggerty | September 1, 1962 | August 31, 1964 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 17 | Lindsey B. Mount | September 1, 1964 | August 31, 1966 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 18 | Burkett A. Reynolds | September 1, 1966 | August 31, 1968 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 19 | "Dutch" Vogt | September 1, 1968 | August 31, 1970 | 1 | Republican |
| Council-Manager | 20 | Mitchell Van Yahres | September 1, 1970 | August 31, 1972 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 21 | Francis H. Fife | July 1, 1972 | June 30, 1974 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 22 | Charles Barbour | July 1, 1974 | June 30, 1976 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 23 | Nancy K. O'Brien | July 1, 1976 | June 30, 1978 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 24 | Laurence Brunton | July 1, 1978 | June 30, 1980 | 1 | Republican |
| Council-Manager | 25 | Frank Buck | July 1, 1980 | August 31, 1988 | 4 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 26 | "Bitsy" Waters | September 1, 1988 | August 31, 1990 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 27 | Alvin Edwards | September 1, 1990 | August 31, 1992 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 28 | Tom Vandever | September 1, 1992 | August 31, 1994 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 29 | David Toscano | September 1, 1994 | August 31, 1996 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 30 | Kay Slaughter | September 1, 1996 | August 31, 1998 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 31 | Virginia Daugherty | July 1, 1998 | July 3, 2000 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 32 | Blake Caravati | July 3, 2000 | July 1, 2002 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 33 | Maurice Cox | July 1, 2002 | July 1, 2004 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 34 | David Brown | July 1, 2004 | January 7, 2008 | 2 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 35 | Dave Norris | January 7, 2008 | January 3, 2012 | 2 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 36 | Satyendra Huja [4] | January 3, 2012 | December 31, 2015 | 2 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 37 | Mike Signer | January 1, 2016 | December 31, 2017 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 38 | Nikuyah Walker | January 1, 2018 | December 31, 2021 | 2 | Independent |
| Council-Manager | 39 | Lloyd Snook | January 6, 2022 | January 2, 2024 | 1 | Democratic |
| Council-Manager | 40 | Juandiego Wade | January 2, 2024 | 1 | Democratic |
References
- ↑ Web. Snook selected to serve as Charlottesville Mayor, Sean Tubbs, News Article, January 6, 2022, retrieved January 8, 2022.
- ↑ Web. Charlottesville mayor apologizes to City Council and residents, The Washington Post, August 30, 2017 at 7:02 p.m. EDT, retrieved March 28, 2021.
- ↑ Web. Yesteryears: For Charlottesville's first mayor, Christmas season 1886 ended with a bang, David Maurer, Daily Progress, Lee Enterprises, retrieved December 8, 2013. Charlottesville incorporated as a city in 1888. The first city charter provided for a biennially elected mayor and twelve member board of aldermen (three alderman were elected from each of the four wards)
- ↑ Web. Charlottesville City Council meeting minutes, .pdf, Council Chambers, City of Charlottesville, January 3, 2012.