Mayor of Austin

Mayor of Austin
Flag of the City of Austin
Incumbent Kirk Watson since January 6, 2023
Residence	Private residence
Term length	Four years renewable once
Inaugural holder	Edwin Waller
Formation	1840
Salary	$134,191 [1]
Website	austintexas.gov/mayor

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. ^[2]

Kirk Watson took office as mayor on January 6, 2023, for a third term and was re-elected to a fourth term in 2024, having served as mayor from 1997 to 2001. ^[3]

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. ^[4]

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. ^[5]

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. ^[6]

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. ^[7]

List of mayors of Austin

No.	Mayor [8]		Took office	Left office	Tenure	Party		Election
1		Edwin Waller (1800–1881)	January 1840	August 1840	6–7 months	Unknown		TBA
2		Thomas W. Ward (1807–1872) 1st time	August 1840	1841	3–4 months	Unknown		TBA
3		Moses Johnson (TBA–TBA)	1841	1842	1 year	Unknown		TBA
4		Asa Brigham (1788–1844)	1842	1843	1 year	Unknown		TBA
5		Joseph W. Robertson (TBA–TBA)	1843	1845	2 years	Unknown		TBA
6		James M. Long (TBA–TBA)	1845	1847	2 years	Unknown		TBA
7		Jacob M. Harrell (TBA–TBA)	1847	1849	2 years	Unknown		TBA
8		Samuel G. Haynie (TBA–TBA) 1st time	1850	1852	2 years	Unknown		TBA
9		George J. Durham (TBA–TBA)	1852	1853	1 year	Unknown		TBA
10		Thomas W. Ward (1807–1872) 2nd time	1853	1853 [a]	>1 year	Unknown		TBA
11		William P. DeNormandie (TBA–TBA)	1853	1854	1 year	Unknown		TBA
12		John Salmon Ford (1815–1897)	1854	1855	1 year	Unknown		TBA
13		John Treadwell Cleveland (TBA–TBA)	1855	1856	1 year	Unknown		TBA
14		Edward R. Peck (TBA–TBA)	1856	1857	1 year	Unknown		TBA
15		Thomas F. Sneed (TBA–TBA)	1857	1858	1 year	Unknown		TBA
16		Ben F. Carter (TBA–TBA)	1858	1860	2 years	Unknown		TBA
17		James W. Smith (TBA–TBA)	1860	1863	3 years	Unknown		TBA
18		Samuel G. Haynie (TBA–TBA) 2nd time	1863	1865	2 years	Unknown		TBA
19		Thomas W. Ward (1807–1872) 3rd time	1865	1866	1 year	Unknown		TBA
20		William H. Carr (TBA–TBA)	1866	1867	1 year	Unknown		TBA
21		Leander Brown (TBA–TBA)	1867	1871	4 years	Unknown		TBA
22		John W. Glenn (TBA–TBA)	1871	1872	1 year	Unknown		TBA
23		Thomas Benton Wheeler (1840–1913)	1872	1877	5 years		Democratic	TBA
24		Jacob Carl DeGress (TBA–TBA)	1877	1879	2 years	Unknown		TBA
25		William A. Saylor (TBA–TBA) 1st time	1879	1881	2 years	Unknown		TBA
26		L. M. Crooker (TBA–TBA)	1881	1883	2 years	Unknown		TBA
27		William A. Saylor (TBA–TBA) 2nd time	1883	1884	1 year	Unknown		TBA
28		John W. Robertson (TBA–TBA)	1884	1887	3 years	Unknown		TBA
29		Joseph Nalle (TBA–TBA)	1887	1890	3 years	Unknown		TBA
30		John McDonald (TBA–TBA)	1890	1895	5 years	Unknown		TBA
31		Louis Hancock (TBA–TBA)	1896	1897	1 year	Unknown		TBA
32		John Dodd McCall (TBA–TBA)	1897	1901	4 years	Unknown		TBA
33		Robert E. White (TBA–TBA)	1901	1905	4 years	Unknown		TBA
34		William D. Shelley (TBA–TBA)	1905	1907	2 years	Unknown		TBA
35		Frank M. Maddox (TBA–TBA)	1907	1909	2 years	Unknown		TBA
36		Alexander Penn Wooldridge (1847–1930)	1909	1919	10 years	Unknown		TBA
37		William D. Yett (TBA–TBA)	1919	1926	7 years	Unknown		TBA
38		Paul W. McFadden (TBA–TBA)	1926	1933	7 years	Unknown		TBA
39		Robert Thomas Miller (1893–1962) 1st time	1933	1949	16 years	Unknown		TBA
40		Taylor Glass (TBA–TBA)	1949	1951	2 years	Unknown		TBA
41		William S. Drake Jr. (TBA–TBA)	1951	1953	2 years	Unknown		TBA
42		Charles A. McAden (TBA–TBA)	1953	1955	2 years	Unknown		TBA
43		Robert Thomas Miller (1893–1962) 2nd time	1955	1961	6 years	Unknown		TBA
44		Lester E. Palmer (TBA–TBA)	1961	1967	6 years	Unknown		TBA
45		Harry Akin (TBA–TBA)	1967	1969	2 years	Unknown		TBA
46		Travis LaRue (1913–2009)	1969	1971	2 years	Unknown		TBA
47		Roy Butler (1926–2009)	1971	1975	4 years		Republican	TBA
48		Jeffrey Friedman (1945–2007)	May 15, 1975	May 15, 1977	2 years, 0 days		Democratic	TBA
49		Carole McClellan (1939–2025)	May 15, 1977	February 25, 1983	5 years, 286 days		Democratic	TBA
–		John Treviño Jr. (1938–2017) Acting [8]	February 1983	May 1983	3 months	Unknown		–
50		Ron Mullen (born 1939)	May 1983	1985	1–2 years	Unknown		TBA
51		Frank C. Cooksey (1933–2025)	1985	June 15, 1988	2–3 years		Republican	TBA
52		Lee Cooke (born 1944)	June 15, 1988	June 15, 1991	3 years, 0 days		Republican	TBA
53		Bruce Todd (TBA–TBA)	June 15, 1991	June 15, 1997	6 years, 0 days		Democratic	TBA
54		Kirk Watson (born 1958) 1st time [9]	June 15, 1997	November 9, 2001	4 years, 147 days		Democratic	TBA
55		Gustavo L. Garcia (1934–2018)	November 9, 2001	June 16, 2003	1 year, 219 days		Democratic	2001 special
56		Will Wynn (born 1961)	June 16, 2003	June 22, 2009	6 years, 6 days		Democratic	2003
								2006
57		Lee Leffingwell (born 1939)	June 22, 2009	January 6, 2015	5 years, 198 days		Democratic	2009
								2012
58		Steve Adler (born 1956)	January 6, 2015	January 6, 2023	8 years, 0 days		Democratic	2014
								2018
59		Kirk Watson (born 1958) 2nd time	January 6, 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 345 days		Democratic	2022
								2024

Notes

1. Ward resigned to accept an appointment by President Franklin Pierce as United States consul to Panama.

See also

• Austin City Council
• Austin City Hall (Austin, Texas)

References

1. Martin, Ken (September 10, 2014). "Budget Gives Stealth Pay Boost". TheAustinBulldog.org. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
2. "New City Council members draw term lengths during inauguration ceremony | AustinTexas.gov - the Official Website of the City of Austin". Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
3. "Austin voters elect Kirk Watson, who served as mayor two decades ago, to lead the city again". December 13, 2022.
4. "Municode Library". Municode.com. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
5. "Municode Library". Municode.com. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
6. "Municode Library". Municode.com. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
7. "Municode Library". Municode.com. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
8. "History of Mayors | AustinTexas.gov". www.austintexas.gov. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
9. "What kind of mayor was Watson? - The Austin Bulldog" . Retrieved March 10, 2023.