Mayor of Gainesville

The Mayor of Gainesville is, for ceremonial purposes, receipt of service of legal processes and the purposes of military law, the official head of the city of Gainesville, Florida. The person holding the office is otherwise a member and chair of the city commission, and is required to preside at all meetings thereof. The mayor is also allowed to vote on all matters that come before the city commission, but has no veto powers.

History of the Mayor's Office

On May 26, 1866, E. W. Perry was elected intendant when the aldermen of Gainesville met to incorporate for the first time. On April 12, 1869, Gainesville re-incorporated, and mayors were elected for one-year terms except when they filled an unexpired term. In 1891, because the city charter was amended, two general elections were held that year. From 1927 to 1997 mayors were not elected, the position being simply that of mayor-commissioner, but as of 1998 mayors are again elected, initially to three year terms, but as of 2022, to four year terms.

Election

The mayor is elected in a citywide nonpartisan election using a two-round system, i.e., if no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a runoff election ensues between the two candidates who received the most votes.
The mayor is elected to a four-year term ; in any case, the mayor may not serve more than two consecutive terms, excepting following a partial term created by a vacancy; however, mayoral terms are reckoned separately from terms as another commissioner, allowing a commissioner to serve more consecutive terms by alternating between the positions.

Succession

Per city code of ordinances, the mayor-commissioner pro tempore performs the functions and duties of the office of mayor in the absence of the mayor. If the mayor's seat is vacated, and less than 6 months remain in the unexpired term or until the next regular election, then the commission appoints a successor to serve until a new mayor is elected. If there is more than 6 months remaining in the term or until the next general election, the seat is filled by a special election not more than 60 days after the occurrence the vacancy.
The mayor is subject to recall as provided by Florida law.

Mayors of Gainesville

Image	Years of service	Mayor	Notes / Citation
	1869	Samuel Y. Finley	First mayor of Gainesville, son of Jesse J. Finley Mayors elected to one-year terms
	?
	1873	Josiah T. Walls	First African-American mayor of Gainesville
	1874	Watson Porter
	?
	1877	S.J. Burnett
	?
	1882	John Varnum
	?
	1885	J.B. Brown
	1886	S.J. Burnett
	1887	W.W. Scott
	1888–1889	J.B. Brown
	1890	S.J. Burnett
	1891	J.B. Brown
	1891	H.E. Day	The city charter was amended in 1891 and two general elections were held that year
	1892	L.C. Lynch
	?
	1897	Clarence Stringfellow	Died in November 1897
	?
	1899–1900	J. F. Bartleson
	1901–1907	William Reuben Thomas
	1908–1909	Horatio Davis
	1910–1917	Chris Matheson
	1918	Gordon "J.B." Tyson
	1919	Robert W. Davis
	1920–1921	J.C. Adkins
	1922	George S. Waldo
	1923–1924	H.L. Phifer
	1925–1927	J.R. Fowler	After Fowler's term, mayors were appointed by the City Commission to one-year terms
	1927–1929	Lee Graham
	1929–1930	C.R. Layton
	1930–1931	Hal C. Batey
	1931–1932	Lee Graham
	1932–1933	C.R. Layton
	1933–1934	Hal C. Batey
	1934–1935	M.H. Baxley
	1935–1936	B.M. Tench
	1936–1937	Hal C. Batey
	1937–1938	R.B. Livingston
	1938–1939	J.M. Dell
	1939–1940	J.M. Butler
	1940–1941	J.B. Carmichael
	1941–1942	C.S. Brooking
	1942–1943	J.B. Carmichael
	1943–1944	J.M. Dell
	1944–1945	Fred M. Cone
	1945–1946	J.M. Butler
	1946–1947	C.S. Brooking
	1947–1948	Henry Gray
	1948–1949	J.M. Butler
	1949–1950	Roy L. Purvis
	1950–1951	J. Milton Brownlee
	1951–1952	Fred M. Cone
	1952–1953	Roy L. Purvis
	1953–1954	C. B. Bohannon Jr.
	1954–1955	Joseph C. Wise
	1955–1956	S. Clark Butler
	1956–1957	R.M. Chamberlin
	1957	J.M. Steadham
	1957–1958	Walter E. Murphree
	1958–1959	Myrl J. Hanes
	1959–1960	S. J. Adkins
	1960–1961	Harry C. Edwards
	1961–1962	Norwood W. Hope
	1962–1963	Edwin J. Andrews
	1963–1964	Byron M. Winn Jr.
	1964–1965	Howard Towles McKinney
	1965–1966	Edwin B. Turlington
	1966–1967	James G. Richardson
	1967–1968	Walter E. Murphree
	1968–1969	T.E. "Ted" Williams
	1969–1970	Walter E. Murphree
	1970–1971	Perry McGriff
	1971–February 1972	Neil A. Butler	First post-Reconstruction African-American mayor of Gainesville
	February 1972–March 1972	T.E. "Ted" Williams
	1972–1973	Richard T. Jones
	1973–1974	James G. Richardson
	1974–1975	Neil A. Butler
	1975–1976	Joseph W. Little
	1976–1977	James G. Richardson
	1977–1978	Aaron A. Green
	1978–1979	Roberta Lane Lisle	First female mayor of Gainesville
	1979–1980	William M. Howard
	1980–1981	Mark Kane Goldstein
	1981–1982	Courtland A. Collier	also served as mayor from 1990–1991
	1982–1983	Gary R. Junior
	1983–1984	W.E. "Mac" McEachern
	1984–1985	Jean Chalmers
	1985–1986	Gary Gordon
	1986–1987	Beverly Hill
	1987–1988	N. David Flagg
	1988–1989	David Coffey
	1989–1990	Cynthia Moore Chestnut	First female African-American mayor of Gainesville
	1990–1991	Courtland A. Collier
	1991–1992	Rodney J. Long
	1992–1993	Thomas McKnew
	1993–1994	James Painter
	1994–1995	Paula M. DeLaney
	1996–1997	Ed Jennings Sr.
	1997–1998	Bruce L. Delaney
	1998–2001	Paula M. DeLaney	First elected mayor of Gainesville since 1927
	2001–2004	Thomas D. Bussing
	2004–2010	Pegeen Hanrahan
	2010–2013	Craig Lowe
	2013–2016	Ed Braddy
	2016–2023	Lauren Poe
	2023-present	Harvey Ward