Mayor of Austin
Introduction The '''mayor of Austin''' is the official head of the city of Austin in the U.S. state of Texas. The office was established in 1840 after Austin incorporated as a city in 1839.The mayor of Austin is elected to a four-year term and limited to serving no more than two terms.Kirk Watson took office as mayor on January 6, 2023, for a second term, having served as mayor from 1997 to 2001.
Duties and powers Austin has a council–manager form of government which means day-to-day operations of the city are run by the city manager. The mayor is the head of city government ceremonially. The mayor is technically a member of the city council and is required to preside at all meetings. The mayor is also allowed to vote on all matters that come before the city council, but has no veto powers.As of fiscal year 2022-2023, the salary for the mayor is set at $134,191.
Election The mayor is elected in a citywide election. Currently, elections occur every four years during even-numbered years. Elections are non-partisan and by majority, but if no candidate receives a majority a run-off election is called between the top two candidates who received the most votes.
Succession Per city code of ordinances, if the mayor is absent or disabled, the Mayor Pro Tem is to act as mayor until the mayor returns or an election is held to fill the vacancy.The mayor is subject to recall by registered voters if a petition is signed and filed that contains the signatures of 10 percent of the qualified voters. If the petition is verified, a recall election is called at the earliest convenient available date. If the recall passes, the mayor immediately vacates office. There are two limitations to the recall process. First, no recall petition can be filed until the mayor has been in office for at least six months. Second, the mayor will not be subject to more than one recall.
List + '''Mayors of Austin, Texas''' Years of service Mayor January, 1840 - August, 1840 Edwin Waller August, 1840 – 1841 Thomas William Ward 1841 - 1842 Moses Johnson 1842 - 1843 Asa Brigham 1843 - 1845 Joseph W. Robertson 1845 - 1847 James M. Long 1847 - 1849 Jacob M. Harrell 1850 - 1852 Samuel G. Haynie 1852 – 1853 George J. Durham 1853 Thomas William Ward 1853 – 1854 William P. deNormandie 1854 – 1855 John S. Ford 1855 – 1856 John T. Cleveland 1856 – 1857 Edward R. Peck 1857 – 1858 Thomas F. Sneed 1858 – 1860 Ben F. Carter 1860 – 1863 James W. Smith 1863 – 1865 Samuel G. Haynie 1865 – 1866 Thomas William Ward 1866 – 1867 William H. Carr 1867 – 1871 Leander Brown 1871 – 1872 John W. Glenn 1872 – 1877 Thomas Benton Wheeler 1877 – 1879 Jacob Carl DeGress 1879 – 1881 William A. Saylor 1881 – 1883 L. M. Crooker 1883 – 1884 William A. Saylor 1884 – 1887 John W. Robertson 1887 – 1890 Joseph Nalle 1890 – 1895 John McDonald 1896 – 1897 Louis Hancock 1897 – 1901 John Dodd McCall 1901 – 1905 Robert E. White 1905 – 1907 William D. Shelley 1907 - 1909 Frank M. Maddox 1909 - 1919 Alexander Penn Wooldridge 1919 - 1926 William D. Yett 1926 - 1933 Paul W. McFadden 1933 – 1949 Tom Miller 1949 – 1951 Taylor Glass 1951 – 1953 William S. Drake, Jr. 1953 – 1955 Charles A. McAden 1955 – 1961 Tom Miller 1961 – 1967 Lester E. Palmer 1967 – 1969 Harry Akin 1969 – 1971 Travis LaRue 1971 – 1975 Roy Butler 1975 – 1977 Jeffrey M. Friedman 1977 – February, 1983 Carole Keeton Rylander February, 1983 - May, 1983 (acting) John Treviño Jr. May, 1983 - 1985 Ron Mullen 1985 - June 15, 1988 Frank C. Cooksey June 15, 1988 – June 15, 1991 C. Lee Cooke June 15, 1991 – June 15, 1997 Bruce Todd June 15, 1997 – November 9, 2001 Kirk Watson November 9, 2001 – June 16, 2003 Gustavo L. "Gus" Garcia June 16, 2003 – June 22, 2009 Will Wynn June 22, 2009 – January 6, 2015 Lee Leffingwell January 6, 2015 – January 6, 2023 Steve Adler January 6, 2023 - Present Kirk Watson
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