The chief executive of the city of Summit, New Jersey since it was incorporated in 1899 has been a mayor. Currently the city operates under a weak mayor system of municipal government where the mayor is mostly a ceremonial role that operates as the city's official spokesman. They do not have the power to vote in the city council, unless in the event of a tie. However, they can use their office as a bully pulpit to promote and oppose candidates for other positions in the city. Additionally they can appoint the chief of police and the board of education.[1] In the 1970s the term for a mayor was lengthened from 2 years to 4 years; there are no term limits.
| Number | Mayor | Party | Term Begins | Term Ends | Notes | References | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | George H. Wilcox | Republican | 1899 | ? | First mayor of Summit, wife ran a women's political club. | [2] | |
| ? | G. F. Vreeland | Republican | 1909 | ? | [3] | ||
| ? | Ruford Franklin | Republican | 1916 | 1920 | Later served as Republican Party representative | [4] [5] | |
| ? | George W. Cornish | 1926 | 1930 | [6] [7] | |||
| ? | Edward Bancroft Twombly | ? | 1930 | 1932 | Served as corporal with the N.J. Cavalry Essex Troop during the Pancho Villa Expedition. Additionally served with the 77th U.S. Expeditionary Force during World War I earning a Silver Star for bravery. | [8] [9] | |
| ? | Edward T. Snook | ? | 1932 | ? | City's amateur softball league's championship trophy was named the "Edward T. Snook trophy" in his honor. | [10] | |
| ? | Guido F. Forster | Republican | 1939 | 1943 | Led the city through most of World War II on a pan-democratic, patriotic platform. Temporarily replaced due his Navy activities by Burton L. Boyle. | [11] | |
| ? | G. Harry Cullis | Republican | 1943 | 1945 | |||
| 17th | Maxwell Lester, Jr. | Republican | 1946 | 1950 | Former city councilor. From 1941 until 1977 he was director of Civil Defense for Summit. | [12] | |
| 18th | Percival M. Bland | ? | 1950 | 1956 | Elected to the city council in 1939. Declined to seek an additional term and retired in 1956. At the time he was the longest serving mayor in Summit history. | [13] | |
| 19th | C. Philip Dean | ? | 1956 | 1958 | |||
| 20th | Ogden D. Gensemer | Republican | 1958 | 1963 | Resigned as mayor due to his heavy business schedule as manager of the Transoceanic Cable Ship Company where he oversaw the laying of underwater cables. | [14] | |
| 21st | David E. Trucksess | Republican | 1963 | 1969 | Appointed to council to fill vacant seat of newly elected mayor Ogden D. Gensemer in 1958. When Gensemer resigned he became interim mayor before winning election in 1965 and re-election in 1967. Declined to run for re-election in 1970. | [15] | |
| 22nd | Elmer J. Bennett | Republican | 1969 | 1976 | Won re-election in the 1973 election. This, combined with then council president Frank Lehr's re-drawing of ward district boundaries in 1972 levied accusations of gerrymandering and ultimately resulted in a lawsuit to split the city in half east to west which was defeated in the New Jersey Supreme Court. | [16] | |
| 23rd | Frank Lehr | Republican | 1976 | 1984 | Former Marine who served in the Korean War. Was appointed to a vacant position on the city council in 1962 and longtime council president. Served 20 years in Summit municipal politics. | [17] | |
| 24th | Robert Hartlaub | Republican | 1984 | 1988 | Remembered for pressuring police chief Frank Formichella to issue warrants for disciplinary records at Summit Junior High. The records, containing tardiness information, reprimands for chewing gum and accounts of snowball fights, where ordered to be returned by Union County Prosecutor, John H. Stamler. | [18] [19] | |
| 25th | Janet Whitman | Republican | 1988 | 1996 | First female mayor of Summit. Remained a highly regarded community leader across the political spectrum after leaving office. | [20] [21] | |
| 26th | Walter Long | Republican | 1996 | 2003 | Known for his extensive renovations of downtown Summit. Presided over the year long centennial celebration in 1999. | [22] [23] | |
| 27th | Jordan Glatt | 2003 | 2011 | Elected in 2003, and re-elected in 2007 with 60% of the vote. Represented the city's shift away from a strong Republican city to a strong Democrat city. Led the city through recovery efforts following Hurricane Irene. | [24] | ||
| 28th | Ellen Dickson | Republican | 2011 | 2015 | Won a three-way split mayoral race with 39% of the vote. | [25] | |
| 29th | Nora Radest | Democrat | 2015 | 2023 | Defeated incumbent mayor Ellen Dickson in 2015, ran unopposed in 2019. Final term mired by backlash to the high-destiny low income Broad Street West Redevelopment, chose to not seek re-election in 2023. | [26] [27] [28] | |
| 30th | Elizabeth Fagan | Republican | 2023 | Present | Following the announcement of the Broad Street West Redevelopment, the Republican party launched a concerted effort to dislodge the Democratic administration in the city seeing Fagan defeat Democrat David Naidu, as well as flipping three Democrat held city council seats. | [29] |