The mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 of Meridian, Mississippi

Meridian, Mississippi

Meridian is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Mississippi. It is the sixth largest city in the state and the principal city of the Meridian, Mississippi Micropolitan Statistical Area...

is elected every four years by the population at large. Being the chief executive officer of the city, he or she is responsible for administering and leading the day-to-day operations of city government. The current mayor of the city is Cheri M. Barry

Cheri Barry

Cheri Merritt Barry is currently the mayor of Meridian, Mississippi. She is the first woman to hold that position.-Biography:Cheri Merritt grew up in Meridian, where she was a graduate of Lamar High School in 1973...

, who was elected in 2009.

City Hall

Meridian City Hall

City Hall in Meridian, Mississippi in the United States is located at 601 24th Avenue. Originally designed by architect P.J. Krouse in 1915, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and as a Mississippi Landmark in 1988...

 is located at 601 24th Avenue, and since September 13, 2006, the building has been undergoing a restoration to its original 1915 appearance, scheduled to be completed in February 2011. Temporary City Hall is located at 2412 7th Street. Upon completion of the renovation, the mayor's office will be located on the second floor of the building.

Nineteenth century

Mayor name	Term	Accomplishments
J. H. Gibbs	1859–1865	Gibbs was elected mayor in 1859 before the city was even incorporated. Upon incorporation in 1860, he was elected again and continued to serve as mayor until the end of the American Civil War American Civil War The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...  in July 1865.
John Armstrong	1865–1866	In the decade after the Civil War, Meridian saw many mayoral changes; there were five different mayors in the year 1871 alone. William L. Sharkey William L. Sharkey William Lewis Sharkey was an American judge and politician from Mississippi.-Biography:He was born in Sumner County, Tennessee, where he and his family lived until they moved to Warren County, Mississippi, when he was six years of age. In 1822, he was accepted into the bar at Natchez... , who had been appointed provisional governor of Mississippi after the war, appointed John Armstrong in July 1865. In December 1865 he was elected by the people and served for another year. R.L Henderson was elected in December 1866 and served until the following January, when the Radical Republicans gained control of Congress and the military appointed new state and local officials. William Cathey was named mayor and served until 1870. William Sturges, a carpetbagger Carpetbagger Carpetbaggers was a pejorative term Southerners gave to Northerners who moved to the South during the Reconstruction era, between 1865 and 1877....  from the North, succeeded Cathey and served until 1871. The Meridian race riot of 1871 Meridian race riot of 1871 The Meridian race riot of 1871, also called the Meridian Riot, was a race riot in Meridian, Mississippi in March 1871. It followed the arrest of freedmen accused of inciting riot in a downtown fire, and blacks' organizing for self-defense...  occurred during his administration and resulted in the townspeople running him out of the city in March. John W. Smith was appointed by scalawag Scalawag In United States history, scalawag was a derogatory nickname for southern whites who supported Reconstruction following the Civil War.-History:...  governor James L. Alcorn James L. Alcorn James Lusk Alcorn was a prominent American political figure in Mississippi during the 19th century. He was a leading southern white Republican or "scalawag" during Reconstruction in Mississippi, where he served as governor and U.S. Senator...  in March and served until September when he was replaced by Grafton Baker. Baker died in October 1871 and was replaced by B.T. Rush, who served until December when he was replaced by W.P. Evans, who served until 1873.
R.L Henderson	1866–1867
William Cathey	1867–1870
William Sturges	1870–Mar 1871
John W. Smith	Mar–Sept 1871
Grafton Baker	Sept–Oct 1871
B.T. Rush	Oct–Dec 1871
W.P. Evans	1871–1873
C. N. Wilcox	1873–1874	Wilcox was elected in January 1873 and was met by the Panic of 1873 Panic of 1873 The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression... . Meridian's population dropped from 7000 to 3000, and property values dropped across the city.
E.V. Early	1874–1875
W. W. Shearer	1875–1878	Shearer was elected in December 1874 (He took office in January 1875) and reelected in 1876, but he died in April 1878.
J. T. Taylor	1878–1882	Taylor was elected to fill the remainder of Shearer's term and then reelected in December 1880 to a two-year term. He, too, died during his second term. During his administration, cotton production and shipping grew to become a substantial industry in the city.
Thomas H. Griffin	1882–1893	Griffin was elected in a special election of 1892 after Taylor's death and then reelected and served over 10 years as mayor. His administration ushered in the city's "Golden Age"; business and industry saw great expansion, and many famous businesses such as F.A. Hulett and Son Furniture and Loeb's Loeb's (department store) Loeb's Department Store is a historic specialty boutique department store in Meridian, Mississippi that has remained in the same family for four generations, beginning with Alexander M. Loeb, a merchant from the city...  were founded during this time.
E. H. Dial	1893–1901	During Dial's mayorship, the city installed updated infrastructure Infrastructure Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...  such as telephone lines, paved streets, and sidewalks. Both the original Union Station and the historic Grand Opera House Grand Opera House (Meridian, Mississippi) The Riley Center, also known as the Grand Opera House and formally as the Mississippi State University Riley Center for Education and Performing Arts is a performing arts and conference center in Meridian, Mississippi...  were built during his tenure as well. Dial is also attributed with coining the city's nickname, "The Queen City." A marker was unveiled at the mayor's former residence on the corner of 30th Avenue and 10th Street in June 2009. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...  in 1979 but was later demolished because of its dilapidated condition and replaced by a Habitat for Humanity house.

Twentieth Century

Mayor name	Term	Accomplishments
E. E. Spinks	1901–1903	Spinks continued most of Dial's policies. He oversaw the paving of more streets, and an extension of sewage and electric street railway systems. Before he was mayor, he was a local dentist Dentist A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...  and served 12 years on the Meridian Public School District Meridian Public School District The Meridian Public School District is a public school district based in Meridian, Mississippi .-High Schools:*Meridian High School **1984-1985 National Blue Ribbon School *Ross Collins Career and Technical Center-Junior High Schools:...  Board of Directors and 8 years in the City Council.
James Henry Rivers	1903–1909	During Rivers's administration, the East End loop of the street car line was completed, and a committee that would eventually bring about the creation of Highland Park Highland Park (Meridian, Mississippi) Highland Park is a historic park in Meridian, Mississippi. Home to a museum honoring Jimmie Rodgers, a Meridian native, the site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The park is also home to the Highland Park Dentzel Carousel and Shelter Building, a National Historic...  was established by the mayor. He also spoke out against employee neglect in the local cotton mill Cotton mill A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution.... s.
John Woods Parker	1909–1917	During Parker's first administration, six new school buildings were built, and the remainder were enlarged or improved. City streets were expanded from 3 miles (4.8 km) of total length to 15 miles (24.1 km), and sidewalks were doubled. Meridian City Hall Meridian City Hall City Hall in Meridian, Mississippi in the United States is located at 601 24th Avenue. Originally designed by architect P.J. Krouse in 1915, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and as a Mississippi Landmark in 1988...  was completed, along with two Carnegie libraries, a jail, and stables. The Meridian Fire Department was upgraded to have a fleet of vehicles instead of horse-drawn buggies as well.
John Milton Dabney	1917–1921	Dabney was mayor during World War I World War I World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...  and served only one term.
John Woods Parker	1921–1923	Parker, who had served previously from 1909 to 1917 was elected again in 1921 and served only half a term before his death in 1923.
William Henry Owen	1923–1933	Owen was elected in a special election after Parker's death. He had been councilman of the city's third ward Wards of the United States In the United States, a ward is an optional division of a city or town, especially an electoral district, for administrative and representative purposes...  from 1910 to 1913 and city commissioner from 1913 to 1920. The last four years of his administration were plagued by the Great Depression Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s... . Though he was well liked by his peers and the public, he was perceived by many as not being forceful enough to cope with the hard times brought about by the Depression, which lead to his defeat in the 1932 mayoral election.
Clint Vinson	1933–1945
Frank L. Jacobs	1945–1949
Laurence B. Paine	1949–1953
William Smylie	1953–1957	Smylie brought the 22nd Avenue Bridge (also known as the James Melton Bridge) to downtown Meridian. This bridge circumvented twenty-six railroad tracks that passed through the center of the city, often stopping traffic on 22nd Avenue.
James C. Downey, Jr.	1957–1961
Henry D. Burns	1961–1965
Algene Key The Flying Keys Brothers Fred and Al Key became interested in aviation after World War I. They started doing some barnstorming in the 1920s and continued their interest as the managers of the Meridian Municipal Airport, in Meridian, Mississippi....	1965–1973	Key, more widely known for breaking the world flight endurance record with his brother Fred in 1935, defeated incumbent Burns in the primaries and went on to win the election. During his administration he took an active role in civic affairs and had previously served as city and county director of civil defense.
Tom Stuart	1973–1977	Stuart was the city's first Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...  mayor of the 20th century. In the 1973 election, he defeated Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...  incumbent Al Key by a landslide vote.
Alfred Rosenbaum	1977–1985	Rosenbaum was the city's first Jewish mayor. Before he was mayor, he was instrumental in bringing Naval Air Station Meridian Naval Air Station Meridian Naval Air Station Meridian or NAS Meridian is a military airport located 11 miles northeast of Meridian, Mississippi in Lauderdale County and Kemper County, and is one of the Navy's two jet strike pilot training bases .-History:On July 16, 1957, the first shovel of earth was thrown, marking the...  to the city.
Jimmy Kemp	1985–1993	Under Kemp's administration, the city developed nationally recognized recycling Recycling Recycling is processing used materials into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials, reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reduce energy usage, reduce air pollution and water pollution by reducing the need for "conventional" waste disposal, and lower greenhouse...  programs for household garbage and wastewater sludge. The city also adopted the Mississippi Main Street Main Street Programs in the United States Over the past several decades a national movement of Main Street Programs has emerged. These may be statewide or regional "coordinating programs" or "local programs." Programs determined to be "Designated" follow best-practices established by the National Main Street Center and/or statewide or...  philosophy for downtown revitalization. A new public works Public works Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...  complex, several city creek flood control projects, and the Bonita Lakes development program were put in place, and other infrastructure improvements were made. To aid in downtown traffic flow, 22nd and 23rd avenues were converted to one-way streets.

Twenty-first century

Mayor name	Term	Accomplishments
John Robert Smith John Robert Smith John Robert Smith served four terms as mayor of Meridian, Mississippi and currently serves as the President and CEO of Reconnecting America, a national non-profit transit research and advocacy think-tank.-Biography:...	1993–2009	Smith oversaw many development and revitalization projects, particularly focused around downtown and inner-city neighborhoods. He helped renovate Union Station, promoted restoration of the historic Grand Opera House into the Riley Center, and spearheaded the development of a HOPE VI HOPE VI HOPE VI is a plan by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is meant to revitalize the worst public housing projects in the United States into mixed-income developments. Its philosophy is largely based on New Urbanism and the concept of Defensible space.The program began...  mixed-income housing project. As mayor, Smith was known as a strong supporter of the arts. He promoted downtown development, including the construction of a parking garage in the city's Arts District to support the Riley Center and other downtown arts venues. He also led the Meridian Green Initiative, a series of programs intended to support a healthy "green" environment for the city.
Cheri Barry Cheri Barry Cheri Merritt Barry is currently the mayor of Meridian, Mississippi. She is the first woman to hold that position.-Biography:Cheri Merritt grew up in Meridian, where she was a graduate of Lamar High School in 1973...	2009–present	Barry was the city's first female mayor, defeating Democratic nominee Percy Bland by a margin of only 293 votes.

External links

• Official website of Meridian, Mississippi