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. 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.
List Mayor Term start Term end Directly elected mayors Arthur L. Goodwillie January 1905 1911Urling C. Coe19111912George P. Putnam "George Palmer Putnam and Dorothy Binney House - City of Bend." National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved: January 10, 2017.19121913Harry "Ham" Miller19131915? Eastesc. 1916????????????Edgar Dewitt Gilson19211922Robert Fox19231928 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 January 1935 January 1943 A. T. Niebergall January 1943 January 1947 G. W. McCann January 1947 January 1948 Hans Slagsvold January 1948 January 1949 Ted D. Sexton January 1949 January 1951 W. T. Welcome January 1951 January 1953 Richard W. Brandis January 1953 January 1955 Hans Slagsvold January 1955 January 1956 Hap Taylor January 1956 January 1957 Web M. Loy January 1957 January 1958 Mel Rogers January 1958 January 1959 Jack C. Dempsey January 1959 January 1960 William E. Miller January 1960 January 1961 E. L. Nielsen January 1961 January 1962 Jack C. Dempsey January 1962 January 1965 Paul Reynolds January 1965 January 1966 Charles B. Hinds January 1966 January 1968 Leon Devereaux January 1968 January 1969 ??? ??? ??? Roger Smith January 1975 January 1977 Clay C. Shephard January 1977 January 1979 Dick Carlson January 1979 January 1981 Ruth Burleigh (first woman mayor of Bend) January 1981 January 1982 Philip A. Young January 1982 January 1983 Samuel Langmas January 1983 January 1984 Craig Coyner January 1984 January 1985 Mike Rose January 1985 January 1987 Bruce H. Devlin January 1987 January 1989 Bill Friedman January 2001 January 2003 Oran Teater January 5, 2003 January 5, 2005 Bill Friedman January 5, 2005 January 5, 2007 Bruce Abernethy January 5, 2007 January 5, 2009 Kathie Eckman January 5, 2009 January 5, 2011 Jeff T. Eager January 5, 2011 January 5, 2013 Jim Clinton January 5, 2013 January 4, 2017 Casey Roats January 4, 2017 January 4, 2019 Direct election resumes Sally Russell January 4, 2019 May 18, 2022 Gena Goodman-Campbell May 18, 2022 January 4, 2023 Melanie Kebler January 4, 2023 Incumbent
See also List of mayors of places in Oregon
References