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| Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina | |
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 Seal of Raleigh, North Carolina | |
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| Member of | Raleigh City Council |
| Seat | Raleigh Municipal Building,Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Term length | Two years |
| Constituting instrument | Act for the Regulation of the City of Raleigh |
| Precursor | Intendant of Police of Raleigh,North Carolina |
| Formation | March 2, 1795 |
| First holder | John Haywood |
Themayor of Raleigh is themayor ofRaleigh, thestate capital ofNorth Carolina, in theUnited States. Raleigh operates withcouncil-manager government, under which the mayor is elected separately fromRaleigh City Council, of which they are the eighth member.
In 1795, theNorth Carolina General Assembly established the office ofIntendant of Police of Raleigh, North Carolina. The first person to hold the office of intendant of police wasJohn Haywood. Officeholders were elected by the Raleigh Board of Commissioners, who were themselves appointed by the General Assembly. Starting in 1803, intendants of police were elected annually by allfreemen (including freeAfrican-Americans) owning land within the city limits. The name Mayor was not adopted until 1856.[1]
The current mayor isDemocratJanet Cowell, formerstate treasurer, who was first elected in2024. The longest-serving mayors in Raleigh's history areAvery C. Upchurch, who was in office for ten years between 1983 and 1993, andCharles Meeker, who served from 2001 through 2011. Four mayors have served for eight years.
Elections are held every two years. Anonpartisan blanket primary is held in October. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the two candidates that received the most votes progress to thegeneral electionrun-off election in November. In2009, for the first time, the election wasnonpartisan, in that the candidates did not have formal party affiliation denoted on the ballot. Incumbent Charles Meeker won 62% in the first round, making a run-off election unnecessary.
