The mayor of Cleveland is the head of the executive branch of

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

of the City of Cleveland,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. As the chief executive in Cleveland's mayor–council (strong mayor) system, the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

oversees all city services and is "responsible for enforcing the city charter, city ordinances, and the laws of the State of Ohio." The mayor's office is located at

Cleveland City Hall Cleveland City Hall is the seat of government for the City of Cleveland, Ohio, and the home of Cleveland City Council and the office of the Mayor of Cleveland. It opened in 1916 and is located at 601 Lakeside Avenue in the Civic Center area of ...

at 601 Lakeside Avenue in

Downtown Cleveland Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The economic and cultural center of the city and the Cleveland metropolitan area, it is Cleveland's oldest district, with its Public Square, Cleveland, Publi ...

. Since 1836, the city has had a total of 54 mayors, including the city's current mayor,

Justin Bibb Justin Morris Bibb (born April 26, 1987) is an American politician and former non-profit leader serving as the 58th mayor of Cleveland, mayor of Cleveland, Ohio since January 2022. Prior to serving as mayor, Bibb worked with public officials, bus ...

, encompassing 58 mayoral administrations, as four mayors have served in non-consecutive terms.

History

Cleveland was established by General

Moses Cleaveland Moses Cleaveland (January 29, 1754 – November 16, 1806) was an American lawyer, politician, soldier, and surveyor from Connecticut who founded the city of Cleveland, Ohio, while surveying the Connecticut Western Reserve in 1796. During the Ame ...

and surveyors of the

Connecticut Land Company The Connecticut Company or Connecticut Land Company (est. 1795) was a post-colonial land speculation company formed in the late eighteenth century to survey and encourage settlement in the eastern parts of the newly chartered Connecticut Western ...

on July 22, 1796. The settlement (then known as "Cleaveland", after its founder) was incorporated as a village on December 23, 1814. At this time, the position of municipal executive was the village president.

Alfred Kelley Alfred Kelley (November 7, 1789—December 2, 1859) was a Banking, banker, canal builder, lawyer, railroad executive, and state legislator in the U.S. state, state of Ohio in the United States. He is considered by historians to be one of the mos ...

was the first to be elected to that post in June 1815. When Cleveland became a city in 1836, it adopted a mayor–council form of government. John W. Willey was the city's first mayor. Initially,

Cleveland City Council Cleveland City Council is the legislature, legislative branch of Local government in the United States, government for the Cleveland, City of Cleveland, Ohio. Its chambers are located at Cleveland City Hall at 601 Lakeside Avenue, across the str ...

had greater power in Cleveland's city government, but this changed with the adoption of the 1892 Federal Plan, which significantly strengthened the office of the mayor. When the plan was ruled unconstitutional in 1902 by the

Supreme Court of Ohio The Supreme Court of the State of Ohio is the highest court in the U.S. state of Ohio, with final authority over interpretations of Ohio law and the Ohio Constitution. The court has seven members, a chief justice and six associate justices, ...

, the powers of the mayor were lessened in the city's new municipal code. However, after the state granted Cleveland municipal

home rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

in 1912, the role of the mayor was enhanced in the 1913

municipal charter A city charter or town charter (generically, municipal charter) is a legal document (''charter'') establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the Middle Ages. Traditionally, the granting of a charter ...

. When the city adopted a

council–manager government The council–manager government is a form of local government commonly used for municipalities and counties in the United States and Ireland, in New Zealand regional councils, and in Canadian municipalities. In the council-manager government, ...

in 1924, the city manager, selected by council, assumed the role of the municipal executive. However, the council–manager experiment was brief and, in November 1931, voters approved returning to the mayor–council system. For much of Cleveland's history, mayoral elections were

partisan Partisan(s) or The Partisan(s) may refer to: Military * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line ** Francs-tireurs et partisans, communist-led French anti-fascist resistance against Nazi Germany during WWII ** Ital ...

, but in 1971, under the mayoral administration of

Ralph Perk Ralph Joseph Perk (January 19, 1914 – April 21, 1999) was an American politician who served as the 52nd mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1971 to 1977. Early life Born to an ethnic Czech American family in Cleveland, Perk dropped out of high ...

, the city amended its charter to make elections

nonpartisan Nonpartisan or non-partisan may refer to: __NOTOC__ General political concepts * Nonpartisanship, also known as Nonpartisanism, co-operation without reference to political parties * Non-partisan democracy, an election with no official recognition ...

. The term of office for the mayor and members of council was traditionally two years, but was extended to four years in 1981 under Mayor

George Voinovich George Victor Voinovich (July 15, 1936June 12, 2016) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Ohio from 1999 to 2011. He previously served as the 65th governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998 and as the 54th mayor of Clev ...

. According to the Cleveland City Charter, there are currently no term limits for the mayor.

Presidents, 1815–1835

Mayors since 1836

Longest-serving mayors

Mayors of Ohio City, 1836–1854

Prior to its

annexation Annexation, in international law, is the forcible acquisition and assertion of legal title over one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. In current international law, it is generally held t ...

on June 5, 1854, Ohio City was a separate municipality and a fierce rival of Cleveland. It had twelve mayoral administrations from 1836 to 1854.Avery, p
179

Notes

References

External links

Office of the Mayor of the City of Cleveland
{{Cleveland

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

Mayors of Cleveland In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

1836 establishments in Ohio