Themayor ofAshland is elected for a four-year term and is notterm limited. The mayor presides over city commission meetings, is a voting member of the city commission and represents the city at major functions. The current mayor is Chuck D. Charles.

The city of Ashland operates under a city manager form of government. Under this form of government, the people of Ashland elect a mayor and four commissioners, who together make up the Board of Commissioners, which possesses the legislative and executive powers of the city. The mayor, as a member of the board, presides over all meetings, calls special meetings, and executes all bonds, notes, contracts, and written obligations authorized by the board.

The mayor and four commissioners are elected by the citizens to act as their representatives in all legislative matters. Their primary duties are to enact ordinances and make policies that are for the ultimate good of the community as a whole. The mayor is elected for a four-year term and the commissioners are elected for two-year terms. In home rule class cities with the city manager form of government non-partisan elections are mandatory.^[1]

This list isincomplete; you can help byadding missing items.(June 2018)

  Democratic (6)  Republican (13)

Order	Image	Mayor	Term began	Term ended	Political party	Birth and death	Notes
1		Henry Bishop Brodess	1876	1881	Republican	(1830 – October 20, 1881)	Before being elected, he was a local judge, and published an outspoken anti-slavery newspaper called theAmerican Union. In 1860, Brodess was a delegate to the Republican National Convention. IN 1861, Brodess became a member of the Ashland Home Guard, an organization formed for "the defense and protection of our families and homes" from guerrilla raiders. Starting around November 15, 1862, Brodess served as a first lieutenant in Company A of the Fourteenth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry. He tendered his own resignation and was honorably discharged on November 17, 1862. During his third term, Brodess died in office and John Means was appointed to serve the remainder of his term.[2][full citation needed]
2		John Means	1881	1882	Republican	(September 21, 1829 – February 14, 1910)	He organized the Cincinnati and Big Sandy Packet Company and vice-president of Ashland National Bank.[2][full citation needed]
3		William Wirt Culbertson	1882	1883	Republican	(September 22, 1835 – October 31, 1911)	He also served as a U.S. Representative from Kentucky.[2][full citation needed]
4		William Henry Harrison Eba	1883	1883	Republican	(November 5, 1831 – August 31, 1911)	During theCivil War, Eba enlisted in Company I, Fifth West Virginia Regiment; was promoted to sergeant-major, March 1862; first lieutenant. He declined the post of adjutant after being acting adjutant two months. He was commissioned a month later by Governor Pierpont captain of Company F, same regiment. He was in various engagements, but none of the great battles of the war. Later, he became city truant officer.[3][2][full citation needed]
5		Thomas Russell	1883	1886			Before becoming mayor he was a street commissioner.[2][full citation needed]
6		William Worth Patterson	1886	1889	Republican	(November 3, 1849 – March 28, 1921)	He was aFreemason, anOdd Fellow and aKnight of Pythias.[2][full citation needed]
7		Patrick Moriarty Jr.	1889	1889		(January 7, 1851 – October 25, 1928)	Previously served on the City Council for a number of terms. Moriarty served as Park Commissionaire and was one of the charter members of the first Chamber of Commerce, then known as the Commercial Club of Ashland.[2][full citation needed]
8		David A. Fisher	1889	1892		(August 14, 1840 – January 19, 1911)	He served in the American Civil War for the Union as a Private. During the War, Fisher was promoted to a full first sergeant.[2][full citation needed]
9		J. C. Whitten	1892	1894
10		Thomas S. Newman	1894	1897		(October 10, 1851 – October 3, 1930)
11		William Arthur Ginn	1897	1906
12		Joseph Oscar Mathewson	1906	1910		(February 4, 1871 - February 28, 1926)
13		Dr. Albert Harrison Moore	1910	1913		(1871 - September 26, 1913)	A graduate ofJefferson Medical College in 1896, he was a member of theAmerican Medical Association and the Kentucky State and Boyd County Medical Societies. He is recorded to have "died suddenly at his home, on September 22 [1913], aged 42 years."[4][full citation needed][2][full citation needed]
14		J. M. McCleary	1913	1913
15		William Arthur Ginn	1913	1914
16		Dr. William Monroe Salisbury	1914	1917
17		Henderson Richardson Dysard	1917	1921	Republican
18		Dr. William Monroe Salisbury	1921	1925
19		William M. Nicholson	1925	1926			A plumber by trade, later was appointed as plumbing inspector of Boyd County in 1930.[5][full citation needed][6]
20		William Boggs Whitt	1926	1926	Democratic	(September 17, 1867 - December 19, 1926)	Whitt was previously a member of theKentucky Senate.[7][full citation needed] He committed suicide on December 19, 1926, by shooting himself through the heart. He had been in ill health.[8]
21		Ernest E. Ramey	1926	1927
22		Charles F. Weaver	1927	1928	Republican	(1858 - October 21, 1932)	In 1904, Weaver was a delegate to Republican National Convention from Kentucky.[2][full citation needed]
23		William C. Frailie	1928	1932	Republican
24		Edgar Browne Hager	1932	1935	Democratic
25		William C. Simpson	1936	1940	Republican
26		Henry D. Shanklin	1940	1943	Democratic
27		Clyde R. Levi	1944	1947	Republican
28		William C. Simpson	1948	1951	Republican
29		David Aronberg	1952	1955	Republican
30		Wilburn Caskey	1956	1959	Democratic
31		David Aronberg	1960	1964	Republican
32		Wilburn Caskey	1964	1968	Democratic
33		Charles Henry Gartrell	1968	1972	Democratic
34		James J. Webb	1972	1976
35		David O. Welch	1976	1980	Democratic		[9][10]
36		Jack T. Thompson	1979	1983	Democratic		[11]
		Dr. Arlie "Rudy" Dunnigan	1993	2001		(1941 - )
		Paul R. Reeves	2001	2002		(September 27, 1945 - September 16, 2021)	Paul Reeves resigned from office five months into his term after being charge for possession of child pornography.[12]
		Stephen E. Gilmore	2002	2008		(April 8, 1943 - December 11, 2024)	Previously served for four terms as a city commissioner.[13]
		Thomas E. Kelley	2009	2012		(December 1, 1941 - August 31, 2021)
		Chuck D. Charles	2013	2016
		Stephen E. Gilmore	2017	2021		(April 8, 1943 - December 11, 2024)	Gilmore defeated incumbent Chuck Charles to return to be reelected after serving as mayor from 2002 to 2008.[13]
		Matthew B. Perkins	2021	2025	Democratic
		Chuck D. Charles	2025		Nonpartisan

• Mayors of Ashland, Kentucky
• Lists of mayors of places in Kentucky

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from September 2024
• Incomplete lists from June 2018
• All articles with incomplete citations
• Articles with incomplete citations from June 2018