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

Years of service	Mayor
January 1840 – August 1840 [8]	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 Treadwell 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) [8]	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 [9]	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

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.