# List of mayors of Chicopee, Massachusetts

The Mayor of Chicopee is the chief executive of municipal government in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The mayor's office oversees the enforcement of all laws and ordinances within the city, appoints and supervises a majority of appointed officials, and serves as an ex officio member of the Chicopee School Committee. Chicopee has a mayor-council government. Mayors of Chicopee are appointed through direct, non-partisan elections to a two-year term. The office has no term limits. The mayor's office is located in Chicopee City Hall in Chicopee Center.
The current mayor of Chicopee is John L. Vieau.

## History

Prior to 1891, Chicopee had no mayor. The town was governed by an open town meeting and a Board of Selectmen to oversee the day-to-day operations of the town. Chicopee received its city charter in 1890 and elected George S. Taylor, who took office in 1891. Under the charter, mayors were elected annually on the first Tuesday in December and took office on the first Monday in January. If the mayor's office was vacated, it was mandatory for an election to take place, with the President of the Board of Aldermen serving as acting mayor.
When the city charter was revised in 1897, the city council was changed to a unicameral system and the mayor no longer presided over city council meetings or acted with the council in declaring elections' winning candidates. Additionally, it was no longer mandatory to call a new election if the mayor's office was vacated within three months of a mayor's term ending. The revised charter came into effect in 1898.
In 1938, the city's Franco-American Association endorsed holding non-partisan local elections. Proponents argued that non-partisan elections would alleviate racial or ethnic bloc voting and party factionalism. The city's first non-partisan elections were held in 1943.

## List of mayors

| # | Mayor | Term | Party | Notes |
| 1 | George Sylvester Taylor | January 5, 1891 - January 4, 1892 | Republican | |
| 2 | William W. McClench | January 4, 1892 - January 2, 1893 | Democrat | |
| 3 | Henry H. Harris | January 2, 1893 - January 1, 1894 | Republican | |
| 4 | William M. E. Mellen | January 1, 1894 - January 7, 1895 | Democratic | |
| 5 | Andrew W. Gale | January 7, 1895 - January 6, 1896 | Republican | |
| 6 | Alexander Grant | January 6, 1896 - January 4, 1897 | Republican | |
| 7 | George D. Eldridge | January 4, 1897 - January 2, 1899 | Democratic | |
| 8 | Denis Murphy | January 2, 1899 - January 7, 1901 | Unaffiliated | Born in Cork, Ireland; First Irish mayor of Chicopee |
| 9 | James H. Loomis | January 7, 1901 - January 4, 1904 | Republican | |
| 10 | Charles A. Buckley | January 4, 1904 - January 2, 1905 | Republican | |
| 11 | Albert E. Taylor | January 2, 1905 - January 6, 1908 | Republican | Son of George Sylvester Taylor |
| 12 | Joseph O. Beauchamp | January 6, 1908 - January 4, 1909 | Republican | Born in Saint-Roch, Canada; First Franco-American mayor of Chicopee |
| 13 | William J. Fuller | January 4, 1909 - January 2, 1910 | Republican | |
| 14 | Samuel E. Fletcher | January 2, 1910 - January 1, 1912 | Republican | |
| 15 | Frank A. Rivers | January 1, 1912 - October 7, 1914 | Unaffiliated | |
| 16 | Rogette D. Earle | October 7, 1914 - January 4, 1915 | Unaffiliated | Board of Alderman President, Acting Mayor |
| 17 | William J. Dunn | January 4, 1915 - January 3, 1916 | Democrat | |
| 18 | Daniel J. Coakley | January 3, 1916 - January 5, 1920 | Democrat | |
| 19 | James E. Higgins | January 5, 1920 - January 2, 1922 | Republican | |
| 20 | Joseph E. Grise | January 2, 1922 - January 4, 1926 | Republican | |
| 21 | Michael I. Shea | January 4, 1926 - January 2, 1928 | Democrat | |
| 22 | Henry Cloutier | January 2, 1928 - January 4, 1932 | Republican | |
| 23 | Anthony J. Stonina | January 4, 1932 - January 1, 1934 | Republican | First Polish mayor of Chicopee |
| 24 | O'Neil Deroy | January 1, 1934 - January 6, 1936 | Republican | |
| (23) | Anthony J. Stonina | January 6, 1936 - January 1, 1940 | Republican | |
| 25 | Leo P. Senecal | January 1, 1940 - January 3, 1944 | Republican | |
| 26 | Edward O. Bourbeau | January 3, 1944 - January 7, 1952 | Republican | |
| 27 | Walter J. Trybulski | January 7, 1952 - January 2, 1956 | Republican | |
| 28 | Walter M. Grocki | January 2, 1956 - January 4, 1960 | Republican | |
| 29 | Edward A. Lysek | January 4, 1960 - January 3, 1966 | Republican | |
| 30 | Richard H. Demers | January 3, 1966 - January 5, 1970 | Democrat | |
| 31 | Edward J. Ziemba | January 5, 1970 - January 5, 1976 | Republican | |
| 32 | Howard W. Redfern, Jr. | January 5, 1976 - January 2, 1978 | Democrat | |
| 33 | John P. Moylan | January 2, 1978 - January 7, 1980 | Democrat | |
| 34 | Robert F. Kumor | January 7, 1980 - January 2, 1984 | Democrat | |
| 35 | Richard S. Lak | January 2, 1984 - January 4, 1988 | Democrat | |
| 36 | Joseph J. Chessey | January 4, 1988 - February 28, 1997 | Democrat | |
| 37 | Patrick E. Welch | March 1, 1997 - July 7, 1997 | Democrat | City Council President, Acting Mayor |
| 38 | Richard J. Kos | July 7, 1997 - January 5, 2004 | Republican | Did not run for re-election in 2003 |
| 39 | Richard R. Goyette | January 5, 2004 - January 2, 2006 | Republican | |
| 40 | Michael D. Bissonnette | January 2, 2006 - January 6, 2014 | Democrat | Lost re-election for 5th term |
| (38) | Richard J. Kos | January 6, 2014 - January 6, 2020 | Republican | |
| 41 | John L. Vieau | January 6, 2020 - Incumbent | | |