Robert W. Forrest was appointed Spokane’s first mayor in 1881 by the Legislative Assembly of Washington Territory. Since then mayors have been elected through two different methods. Most were elected by a vote of the citizens, but for 50 years, under the commission form of government, mayors were chosen by their fellow city commissioners. Their terms of service also varied. In the city’s first decades, mayors were elected every year, later extended to every two years. In recent decades, mayors have been elected every four years. The relative power of the mayor has also varied. Many of Spokane’s mayors had limited forms of influence, under what was called a weak-mayor form of government. Others, including those in recent decades, were elected under a strong-mayor system, in which they were the city’s chief executive officers. Spokane elected its first Black mayor, James E. Chase, in 1982, and its first woman mayor, Vicki McNeill, in 1986. One mayor, James E. West, was recalled by voters after a scandal. The post of mayor occasionally took a toll – during one stretch between 1929 and 1946, four mayors either died in office or resigned because of an illness that would soon result in their death.
Power Struggles
When Spokane was incorporated in 1881, the Washington Territorial Legislature mandated a traditional mayor-council form of government, and appointed Robert W. Forrest as mayor. The incorporation act specified that the mayor and all the council members would henceforth be elected every year (lengthened in 1895 to every two years) by citywide vote. They would serve without pay. Early Spokane historian N. W. Durham noted that being the town’s mayor in those early unpaid days required plenty of “public spirit, self-denial and patience” (Durham, Vol. 1, p. 375).
In 1891, a revised city charter went into effect in which a mayor and 15 council members were elected, and three city commissioners were appointed by the mayor and council. This resulted in numerous power struggles between the mayor, council, and commissioners. After nearly 20 sometimes contentious years under that charter, a consensus formed that it was "unsuited to a growing city’s needs" (Durham, Vol. 1, 555). In 1910, voters approved a new charter with a more "modern" commission form of government. Under the commission government, there was no direct election for mayor. Instead, the public elected five commissioners, who served as a de facto city council and also as administrators of individual city departments. Those five commissioners appointed one of their own as mayor. This was sometimes known as the commission-and-weak-mayor form of government.
After 50 years, many believed the commission government was outdated. In 1960, the city’s voters approved a new mayor-council-manager form of government. The mayor would preside over the council and have ceremonial duties, but the city’s administrative duties would be delegated to a hired city manager. The mayor would serve a four-year term. This was also considered a weak-mayor form of government.
In 1999, voters again overhauled city government, establishing what the new charter called a “strong-mayor” form of government (“City of Spokane Charter”). It called for the election of a mayor, a council president and six council members. Under this charter, which remained in effect as of 2024, the mayor was far more than a ceremonial figurehead. The mayor was once again the city’s chief executive officer.
Here, in chronological order, are Spokane’s mayors, excluding temporary acting mayors:
Robert W. Forrest (Years in office: 1881-1883) – Appointed mayor by the Territorial Legislature in 1881, and subsequently elected via ballot in April 1882. He was a Civil War veteran and one of Spokane’s early settlers, well known for operating a small flat-boat ferry over the Spokane River, just east of present-day Division Street. He later became a wealthy Spokane businessman, property holder, and banker.
James N. Glover (1883-1885) – Considered the "father of Spokane" for his early development and promotion of the fledgling city (Durham, 332). He arrived in 1873, when there was no town to speak of, and later owned and platted many of the town’s early lots. Glover (1838-1921) was a beloved civic figure in his own time, but his reputation became tarnished more than a century later.
Anthony M. Cannon (1885-1887) – An early Spokane settler and businessman, he arrived in 1878 and subsequently opened the town’s first bank. He was a member of Spokane’s original town council before being elected mayor.
William H. Taylor (1887-1888) – Founder of Spokane’s original water franchise, which he turned over to the city in 1884. He then worked in the flour and grain business before selling his business and becoming mayor.
Jacob Hoover (1888-1889) – A lawyer, banker, and organizer of Spokane’s Exchange National Bank. He took over as acting mayor in February 1888 after Taylor left Spokane. He was elected to a full term in April 1888. He resigned in March 1889 because he moved one block outside of the city limits.
Isaac S. Kaufman (1889) – An early real estate man and one of the incorporators of the Ross Park Street Railway. Appointed to replace Hoover for a month before the April 1889 election.
Fred Furth (1889-1890) – Known during his term as an opponent of gambling. He ordered the games closed, but they were soon re-opened. Furth was mayor when the Great Spokane Fire destroyed downtown Spokane on August 4, 1889.
Charles F. Clough (1890-1891) – Partnered with Jay P. Graves as one of the prominent real estate developers in the city, He was elected mayor by a large majority on the Citizens party ticket.
Under Revised 1891 City Charter
David B. Fotheringham (1891-1892) – A Spokane builder and contractor and an influential member of the city council. Ran for mayor on the People’s ticket and became the first mayor elected under the new city charter.
Daniel M. Drumheller (1892-1893) – A former Pony Express rider and area rancher. Came to Spokane in 1880 and founded a wholesale meat business and later became a banker. One of the "best known men in the city," Drumheller (1840?-1925) was elected mayor over Jay P. Graves by a 255-vote majority (Durham, Vol. 2, 236).
Edward L. Powell (1893-1894 ) – Nominated by the city’s Republican ticket, he defeated the Democratic candidate by a majority of more than 700 votes as part of a citywide Republican sweep. He received credit for boosting local industry and business during a depressed economic period.
Horatio N. Belt (1894-1897) – A real estate and street railway developer, he was elected on the People’s ticket and was reelected in 1895 when the mayoral term was lengthened to two years. He served "during the hardest times in the city" – following the financial Panic of 1893 – and "his popularity among the working people saved many riots and prevented bloodshed" (Edwards, 385).
Elmer D. Olmsted (1897-1899) – A prominent local physician, elected on the Citizens ticket. He was said to stand for "good citizenship and municipal integrity above all things" (Durham, Vol. 2, 332).
James M. Comstock (1899-1901) – A Civil War veteran, he founded the Spokane Dry Goods Company, yet it was for "his public service that he is best known in Spokane" (Edwards, 462). He was a city council member for five years before being elected mayor.
Patrick S. Byrne (1901-1903) – A prominent physician, developer, and real estate man, his term as mayor "gave to the city a business-like and public-spirited administration" (Durham, Vol 2, 237).
L. Frank Boyd (1903-1905) – A former newspaper editor and Spokane Review reporter, he was elected city clerk in 1896 before being elected mayor.
Floyd L. Daggett (1905-1907) – A proprietor of a fire-insurance business, he was elected as city comptroller prior to his election as mayor. During his term he oversaw the building of the city’s water reservoir and extended the water system and was known for his "spirit of progress and improvement" (Durham, Vol. 2, 275).
Herbert Moore (1907-1909) – A prominent businessman, streetcar developer, and driving force behind Natatorium Park, Spokane’s amusement park. He was elected mayor on the Republican ticket and was best known for closing the city’s dance halls, which were considered scandalous at the time.
Nelson S. Pratt (1909-1911) – During the first election under a direct primary law, he won the Democratic primary, but during the general election he was supported by the Non-Partisan Club, composed mostly of Republicans. He won by a majority of nearly 800 votes. He would go on to spearhead a successful drive to adopt a commission form of city government.
Under City Commission Form of Government
William J. Hindley (1911-1913) – An ordained minister, he moved into city politics after eight years as pastor of the Pilgrim Congregational Church. Under the new commission form of government, he was elected one of five city commissioners and then appointed by his fellow commissioners as mayor. His was supported by "the better elements of Spokane’s citizenship" and his term was characterized by "reform and improvement along many lines" (Durham, Vol. 2, 298). He resigned in 1914 to take up a new pulpit in Winnipeg.
Charles M. Fassett (1914-1916) – He came to Spokane in 1889 and opened an assay office. In 1911, he was elected city commissioner. Upon Hindley’s retirement, he was elected mayor unanimously by his fellow commissioners.
Charles A. Fleming (1916-1917) – Arrived in Spokane in 1897 and was appointed city clerk in 1903, a position he held for 12 years. He was elected commissioner in 1913 and served as Spokane’s commissioner of public safety before being elected mayor by unanimous vote of his fellow commissioners.
Charles M. Fassett (1918-1920) – In a "surprise" vote of the commissioners, Fassett was once again elected mayor. The swing voter among the commissioners said he felt that Fassett would better be able to assist the city’s commissioner of public safety, and that “Mr. Fleming offered no objection" ("Select Fassett").
Charles A. Fleming (1920-1929) – Reelected unanimously as mayor after Fassett announced his intention to retire. In 1929 he chose not to be a candidate for reelection because of ill health. He died a few months later and the Spokane Press said his "stand with the working classes and his popularity with business men stood him in good stead" ("Funeral for Ex-Mayor").
Leonard Funk (1929-1935) – A carpenter by trade, he was the city’s superintendent of public works for years and was elected as a city commissioner in 1915. He was appointed mayor by his fellow commissioners after Fleming decided to step down. Funk was mayor until February 4, 1935, when he died of a heart attack.
Arthur W. Burch (1935-1937) – He became acting mayor after Funk’s death and was quickly appointed to the remainder of Funk’s term. He had been a city employee since 1902, when he accepted what he thought was a vacation-time job in the office of the city comptroller, but which turned into a lifetime civic career. Before his mayoral term expired, he became ill and died on October 7, 1937.
Frank G. Sutherlin Sr. (1937-1945) – He was elected commissioner in 1933 and served as acting mayor beginning in August 1937 while Burch was ill. He was then appointed mayor by his fellow commissioners after Burch’s death. He headed the city’s public utilities department for many years.
Otto A. Dirkes (1945-1946) – He served as city clerk for 13 years before being appointed city commissioner following the death of Burch. He then won the 1938 election to remain in the same post. He was voted in as mayor in June 1945 by unanimous vote of his fellow commissioners. He suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in September 1945 and resigned in January 1946 because of his illness. He died in December 1946.
Arthur Meehan (1946-1955) – He was elected city commissioner in 1942 and appointed mayor three years later following Dirkes’s resignation. A graduate of North Central High School and Gonzaga University, he began his civic service in 1922 as secretary to Mayor Fleming. He worked in numerous city departments before being appointed as the city’s superintendent of public works. In May 1955, he announced he would no longer be a candidate for mayor, because he believed "some other member of the council should assume this responsibility" (Fischer).
Willard Taft (1955-1958) – He was nominated by Meehan and was elected mayor by a unanimous vote of his fellow commissioners. He had previously served four terms in the state legislature. As a boy, he worked as a busboy at the Davenport Hotel. In 1945 he was elected city commissioner and served as the city’s public utilities commissioner.
Frank G. Sutherlin Jr. (1958-1960) – He became "the first person in Spokane’s history to take over a commissioner’s post held by a parent," and soon afterward became the first to succeed a parent as mayor (Bennett). He was a Spokane native and had worked at the ALCOA aluminum mill before being elected commissioner.
Kenneth Lawson (1960) – He was elected mayor by his fellow commissioners in February 1960. Less than a month later, city voters approved a new mayor-council-manager form of government, which abolished the current city commission and ended Lawson’s mayoral term as of June 23, 1960. He ran for mayor under the new form of government but was narrowly defeated by Neal Fosseen.
Mayor-council-manager Form of Government
Neal R. Fosseen (1960-1967) – Under the new form city government, Fosseen became the first Spokane mayor in 50 years to be elected by citywide vote. He served in the Marine Corps during World War II and returned to Spokane to work in the family brick company. He was working as a bank executive when the city’s business leaders approached him about running for mayor. He was reelected in 1964 but stepped down in 1967, two years before his term expired.
David H. Rodgers (1967-1978) – He was elected in November 1967 to fill out the remaining two years of Fosseen’s term, and reelected by comfortable margins in 1969 and 1973. He had the distinction of being Spokane’s mayor during Expo ’74, Spokane’s world’s fair, and is perhaps best remembered for saying, "Reduced to its essentials, we gave a great big party and the rest of the world came and paid the bill" (Youngs, 503).
Ron Bair (1978-1982) – Before becoming mayor, he was a longtime newscaster and news director at KXLY-TV and already one of Spokane’s best-known personalities. He was voted in by a wide margin. He chose not to run for a second term because of "controversy over his support for a business and occupation tax and personal financial problems" (Bonino).
James E. Chase (1982-1986) – He was president of Spokane’s chapter of the NAACP for many years before being elected in a landslide as Spokane’s first Black mayor. Chase (1914-1987) and his wife Eleanor Chase became beloved civic figures during his mayoral tenure. He probably could have sailed to a second term, but he declined to run because of illness. He died of cancer in 1987.
Vicki McNeill (1986-1990) – She was already a well-known civic fundraiser and city council member when Chase announced he would not run for a second term. She was subsequently elected as Spokane’s first woman mayor by a comfortable margin. During her term she was sometimes referred to as Queen Vicki – not particularly as a compliment – and had to survive an attempted recall drive, which was quashed by the courts. Yet her many supporters praised her courage and tenacity and considered her "one of the city’s greatest leaders" (Johnson). She chose not to seek a second term.
Sheri S. Barnard (1990-1994) – She was a city council member and had already worked on many civic causes by the time McNeill announced her retirement. Barnard decided to run for mayor, largely on a platform of opposition to a waste-to-energy plant. She won in a tight race. She said she considered her job to be "helping the little guy feel strong" (Prager). She was noted for her compassion, but this did not translate into votes. She ran for a second term but was bounced out in the 1993 primary with only 12 percent of the vote, as part of an anti-incumbent wave.
Jack Geraghty (1994-1998) – He came from a family that had been involved in civic government nearly from Spokane’s beginnings – his grandfather was Spokane’s city attorney in 1905 and later became a Washington Supreme Court justice. Jack Geraghty, his grandson, was also well-known as a former Spokane County council member, state legislator, and vice-president for public relations for Expo ’74. He defeated incumbent Barnard in the mayoral primary and won the general election. His term was known primarily for spearheading downtown revitalization, although this would later prove controversial. He ran for a second term but lost by a whisker.
John Talbott (1998-2000) – He was a retired Air Force colonel who ran an insurgent campaign against Geraghty, saying the incumbent had bowed to powerful downtown interests. Talbott won by a margin of less than 500 votes out of 53,000. However, his term was cut short when Spokane voters approved a strong-mayor form of government in November 1999, which called for the mayor – not the city manager – to be the city’s chief executive officer. A new mayoral election was mandated in November 2000, in which Talbott ran but was defeated.
Strong-mayor Form of Government
John Powers (2000-2003) – Powers was a bankruptcy attorney in Spokane’s largest law firm, yet a political novice. In his campaign against Talbott, he offered to end the turmoil which had roiled the city council and city hall. He won the backing of the city employee unions. He won the election in November 2000 and became Spokane’s first mayor under the strong-mayor system. He ran for reelection in 2003 but was knocked out in the primaries with only 20 percent of the vote.
James E. West (2003-2005) – Before becoming mayor, Jim West (1951-2006) was already one of Spokane’s best-known politicians. He had served in the Washington State Legislature for 20 years and had risen to the position of Senate majority leader. Yet, as a Spokane native, it had always "been my life’s dream to be mayor of Spokane" ("Life’s Dream"). He saw an opening in 2003 and defeated TV reporter Tom Grant to achieve his dream. Yet his story took a dramatic turn in 2005 when he became embroiled in a scandal involving gay sex. He was stripped of his job in a December 2005 recall vote and died seven months later of cancer.
Dennis P. Hession (2005-2007) – In the wake of West’s recall vote, the city council appointed Hession to serve out West’s remaining term. Hession was an attorney who had been active in city politics for years, having served on the city council since 2001. He was city council president at the time of his mayoral appointment. He ran for a new term in 2007 but was defeated in the general election.
Mary Verner (2007-2011) – She was an attorney and executive with the Upper Columbia United Tribes and had been on the city council since 2003. She campaigned on a clean-environment platform and defeated incumbent Hession in a bruising race. She ran for a second term in 2011, and easily won the primary, but lost the general election.
David Condon (2011-2019) – He was well-known in Republican circles as the deputy chief of staff for Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the U.S. House member for the district. After finishing a distant second in the primary, Condon waged an effective campaign, challenging the incumbent on utility rate hikes and on charges that the city government had mismanaged police brutality allegations. He went on to score a surprise victory in the general election. His first four years as mayor were relatively serene by Spokane standards, as evidenced by the fact that Condon easily won reelection in 2015, becoming the first mayor to win a second term since David Rodgers more than 40 years earlier. He put to rest what had been called "The Curse of the One-Term Mayor" (Clark).
Nadine Woodward (2019-2024) – She was a longtime news anchor at KXLY-TV and became the third Spokane TV newscaster to run for mayor. She ran against city council president Ben Stuckart in a race that centered around Spokane’s homeless crisis. She won both the primary and general election. She clashed frequently with the city council, and the homelessness crisis continued to grow during her tenure. It remained the top issue when she ran for reelection in 2023 and lost.
Lisa Brown (2024) – She was a familiar name in Democratic politics, having been a state legislator and former Senate majority leader. In 2018, she ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Congress against Cathy McMorris-Rodgers. In 2023, she quit her job as director of the Washington State Department of Commerce to run for mayor. She charged that incumbent Woodward had been ineffective in dealing with homelessness and downtown crime. Brown won by around 3,000 votes.
