List of mayors of Tukwila, Washington

This is a list of mayors of Tukwila, Washington. In 1908, Tukwila was incorporated as a city. Joel Shomaker, the first mayor, was integral in the movement towards incorporation.[1] Jim Haggerton was elected mayor in 2007 and assumed office on 1 January 2008. Reelected to a second term in 2011, he has announced that he will not run for a third.[2][3][4]

Mayor of Tukwila
Incumbent
Thomas McLeod
since 1 January 2024
Term length4 years
Inaugural holderJoel Shomaker
Formation23 June 1908
Websitehttp://www.tukwilawa.gov/mayor/
Joel Shomaker, circa 1916

History

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Tukwila was incorporated on 23 June 1908 with Joel Shomaker as mayor. Shomaker, farm editor for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, had pushed for the city to be incorporated and planned the newspaper contest that decided the city's name.[5] Many mayors have had a lasting legacy in Tukwila, where Strander, Minkler, and Baker Boulevards are named after mayors who served in the middle of the twentieth century.[6]

Duties

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As an optional municipal code city, Tukwila is governed by Title 35A of the Revised Code of Washington. As a mayor-council government, the mayor provides over all city council meetings, breaks tied votes, reports as to the city's finances, and prepares the budget. The mayor has the right to veto ordinances, but that veto can be overridden by a 50%-plus-two majority of the city council.[7]

List of mayors

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# Name Term began Term ended
1 Joel Shomaker 23 June 1908 31 December 1909
2 Ernest Engel 1 January 1910 31 December 1911
3 Jacob Guntert 1 January 1912 14 January 1913
4 John Hall 14 January 1913 31 December 1914
5 Sylvanus Harlow Stevens 1 January 1915 31 December 1918
6 Edward F. Greene 1 January 1919 31 December 1924
7 George C. Bergquist 1 January 1925 31 December 1927
8 John R. Walkup 1 January 1928 5 June 1933
9 John P. Walkup 5 June 1933 2 June 1947
10 Charles Baker 2 June 1947 2 April 1962
11 John Strander
(1924–1998)
2 April 1962 31 December 1967
12 Stanley Minkler 1 January 1968 31 December 1971
13 Frank Todd
(1923–2004)
1 January 1972 31 December 1975
14 Edgar Bauch
(1924–2004)
1 January 1976 31 December 1979
15 Frank Todd
(1923–2004)
1 December 1980 15 July 1982
16 Gary VanDusen
(1941–)
15 July 1982 31 December 1991
17 John W. Rants 1 January 1992 31 December 1999
18 Steve Mullett
(1943–2017)
1 January 2000 31 December 2007
19 Jim Haggerton 1 January 2008 31 December 2015[8]
20 Allan Ekberg
(1959–)
1 January 2016 31 December 2023
21 Thomas McLeod 1 January 2024 Present

References

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  1. ^ Jones-Brown, Louise (17 August 2012). "Joel Shomaker Gave Tukwila a Start in 1908". Tukwila Reporter. Sound Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  2. ^ Radford, Dean (18 December 2014). "Tukwila Mayor's Legacy: Make the City Financially Secure". Tukwila Reporter. Sound Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  3. ^ "Mayor Haggerton's Bio". City of Tukwila, Washington. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  4. ^ Radford, Dean (16 October 2014). "Public Can Weigh in on $300 Million Tukwila Budget Proposal on Nov. 10". Tukwila Reporter. Sound Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  5. ^ Jones-Brown, Louise (16 August 2012). "Joel Shomaker gave Tukwila start in 1908". Tukwila Reporter. Sound Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  6. ^ Jones-Brown, Louise. "Three mayors made Southcenter happen: Tukwila's story". Tukwila Reporter. Sound Publishing, Inc. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  7. ^ "Duties and authority of the mayor — Veto — Tie-breaking vote". Washington State Legislature. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  8. ^ "Tukwila Past Mayors". City of Tukwila, Washington. Retrieved 5 February 2015.