This is a list of mayors of Bend, Oregon . The City of Bend was incorporated in 1904 and the first election for city leaders was held that year. The first mayor, Arthur L. Goodwillie, took office on January 4, 1905. Mayors were elected until Bend's charter was changed in 1928 following controversies sparked under the term of E.D. Gilson. [1] The modified charter called for city councilors to appoint one member of the council to serve as mayor for a two-year term. The 1928 charter also moved Bend to a council–manager form of government, where the mayor leads city council while a city manager oversees day-to-day city operations. In May 2018, Bend voters approved charter amendments bringing back the direct election of the mayor.
Bend's mayors currently serve four-year terms and are directly elected by voters. The next election for mayor will be November 2026. The office is nonpartisan, meaning there is not a primary election or partisan affiliation on the ballot.
| Mayor | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|
| Directly elected mayors | ||
| Arthur L. Goodwillie [1] | January 1905 | 1911 |
| Urling C. Coe [1] [2] | 1911 | 1912 |
| George P. Putnam [1] [3] | 1912 | 1913 |
| Harry "Ham" Miller [1] | 1913 | 1915 |
| ? Eastes [4] [5] [6] | c. 1916 | ??? |
| ??? | ??? | ??? |
| Edgar Dewitt Gilson [7] | 1921 | 1922 |
| Robert Fox | 1923 | 1928 |
| Council-appointed mayors | ||
| Herbert E. Allen | ??? | January 1929 |
| George P. Gove | January 1929 | January 1931 |
| J. F. Hosch | January 1933 | January 1935 |
| Fred S. Simpson [8] | January 1935 | January 1943 |
| A. T. Niebergall | January 1943 | January 1947 |
| G. W. McCann | January 1947 | January 1948 |
| Hans Slagsvold [9] | January 1948 | January 1949 |
| Ted D. Sexton [10] | January 1949 | January 1951 |
| W. T. Welcome [11] | January 1951 | January 1953 |
| Richard W. Brandis [12] [9] | January 1953 | January 1955 |
| Hans Slagsvold [9] | January 1955 | January 1956 |
| Hap Taylor [13] | January 1956 | January 1957 |
| Web M. Loy [14] | January 1957 | January 1958 |
| Mel Rogers [14] | January 1958 | January 1959 |
| Jack C. Dempsey [15] | January 1959 | January 1960 |
| William E. Miller [16] | January 1960 | January 1961 |
| E. L. Nielsen [17] [18] | January 1961 | January 1962 |
| Jack C. Dempsey [19] | January 1962 | January 1965 |
| Paul Reynolds [20] [21] | January 1965 | January 1966 |
| Charles B. Hinds [22] | January 1966 | January 1968 |
| Leon Devereaux [23] [24] [25] | January 1968 | January 1969 |
| ??? | ??? | ??? |
| Roger Smith | January 1975 | January 1977 |
| Clay C. Shephard | January 1977 | January 1979 |
| Dick Carlson [26] | January 1979 | January 1981 |
| Ruth Burleigh (first woman mayor of Bend) [27] | January 1981 | January 1982 |
| Samuel Langmas [28] | January 1982 | January 1984 |
| Craig Coyner [29] | January 1984 | January 1985 |
| Mike Rose [30] | January 1985 | January 1987 |
| Bruce H. Devlin | January 1987 | January 1989 |
| Bill Friedman [31] | January 2001 | January 2003 |
| Oran Teater [32] | January 5, 2003 | January 5, 2005 |
| Bill Friedman [33] [34] | January 5, 2005 | January 5, 2007 |
| Bruce Abernethy [35] | January 5, 2007 | January 5, 2009 |
| Kathie Eckman [36] | January 5, 2009 | January 5, 2011 |
| Jeff T. Eager [37] | January 5, 2011 | January 5, 2013 |
| Jim Clinton [38] | January 5, 2013 | January 4, 2017 |
| Casey Roats [39] | January 4, 2017 | January 4, 2019 |
| Direct election resumes | ||
| Sally Russell [40] | January 4, 2019 | May 18, 2022 |
| Gena Goodman-Campbell [41] | May 18, 2022 | January 4, 2023 |
| Melanie Kebler [42] | January 4, 2023 | Incumbent |