# List of mayors of Willoughby

This is a list of the Mayors of Willoughby City Council and its predecessors, a local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The official title of Mayors while holding office is: His/Her Worship The Mayor of Willoughby. First incorporated on 23 October 1865 as the Municipality of Willoughby, the council first met to elect six Aldermen and two Auditors on 16 December 1865, in the house of James Harris French and the first chairman, James William Bligh, was elected on 1 January 1866. With the enactment of the Municipalities Act, 1867 the title of chairman was changed to "Mayor".
The council area was proclaimed as the City of Willoughby on 17 November 1989. On 1 July 1993 following the enactment of a new Local Government Act, elected representatives of the council were to be known as 'Councillor', replacing the former title of 'Alderman'. Originally, nominated annually by the council, since 1999 the mayor has been popularly elected for a four-year term.

## List of incumbents

| Years | Chairman | Notes |
| 1 January 1866 – 23 December 1867 | James William Bligh | |
| Years | Mayors | Notes |
| 23 December 1867 – 18 February 1868 | James William Bligh | |
| 18 February 1868 – 10 February 1869 | David Broadfoot | |
| 10 February 1869 – 8 February 1870 | Henry Hocken Bligh | |
| 8 February 1870 – 18 February 1871 | Richard H. Harnett | |
| 18 February 1871 – February 1872 | Henry Hocken Bligh | |
| February 1872 – February 1873 | James Harris French | |
| February 1873 – 10 February 1874 | Elijah Charlish | |
| 10 February 1874 – 13 February 1875 | James Peter Best | |
| 13 February 1875 – February 1876 | James Forsyth Snr. | |
| February 1876 – 10 February 1881 | Richard Seldon | |
| 10 February 1881 – 18 February 1882 | Elijah Charlish | |
| 18 February 1882 – 9 February 1883 | Thomas Todd Forsyth | |
| 9 February 1883 – 19 February 1884 | James Peter Best | |
| 19 February 1884 – 11 February 1887 | Howard Fleming | |
| 11 February 1887 – 7 March 1888 | Thomas Todd Forsyth | |
| 7 March 1888 – February 1890 | Alexander Simpson | |
| February 1890 – 13 February 1891 | William Thomas Muston | |
| 13 February 1891 – 11 February 1892 | Henry Charles Catt | |
| 11 February 1892 – February 1893 | Robert Small | |
| February 1893 – 16 February 1894 | Thomas Todd Forsyth | |
| 16 February 1894 – 28 February 1895 | Howard Fleming | |
| 28 February 1895 – March 1896 | Robert Small | |
| March 1896 – February 1898 | Robert Henry Gordon | |
| February 1898 – February 1899 | Claude Leplastrier | |
| February 1899 – 14 February 1901 | George Francis Bailey | |
| 14 February 1901 – 13 February 1902 | Frederick Smythe Willis | |
| 13 February 1902 – 16 February 1905 | Fitt Charles Petrie | |
| 16 February 1905 – 14 February 1906 | John Norbert Mason | |
| 14 February 1906 – February 1908 | William M. Cleland Jr. | |
| February 1908 – February 1910 | George Francis Bailey | |
| February 1910 – 6 February 1911 | H. H. Robey | |
| 6 February 1911 – February 1912 | Robert Todd Forsyth | |
| February 1912 – February 1914 | Clive N. Backhouse | |
| February 1914 – February 1915 | William T. Dickson | |
| February 1915 – February 1919 | Robert Todd Forsyth | |
| February 1919 – February 1920 | Fitt Charles Petrie | |
| February 1920 – December 1921 | Robert Todd Forsyth | |
| December 1921 – December 1925 | H. W. Clarke | |
| December 1926 – 12 December 1927 | Robert Todd Forsyth | |
| 12 December 1927 – 23 December 1930 | Lancelot Bavin | |
| 23 December 1930 – December 1932 | Joseph Bales | |
| December 1932 – December 1934 | Ernest Edward Alcorn | |
| December 1934 – December 1935 | Herbert Parkinson Piper | |
| December 1935 – December 1936 | Joseph Bales | |
| December 1936 – December 1937 | Arnold Vivian Meldrum | |
| December 1937 – December 1942 | Joseph Bales | |
| December 1942 – December 1944 | Henry Hastings Willis | |
| December 1944 – 1947 | Joseph Bales | |
| 1948–1949 | W. M. Jack | |
| 1950–1952 | A. R. Baldwin | |
| 1953–1954 | Edgar Absalom Deans | |
| 1955–1957 | David John Cawthorne | |
| 1958–1959 | N. R. McDowell | |
| 1960–1967 | Laurie McGinty | |
| 1968 – September 1972 | Bob Dougherty | |
| September 1972 – September 1974 | David Warner | |
| September 1974 – September 1980 | Noel Reidy | |
| September 1980 – September 1982 | Jack Wilkinson Donnelly | |
| September 1982 – September 1991 | Noel Reidy | |
| September 1991 – September 1993 | Greg Bartels | |
| September 1993 – September 1995 | John Squire | |
| September 1995 – September 1997 | Eunice Raymond | |
| September 1997 – 20 January 2014 | Pat Reilly | |
| 16 April 2014 – 21 December 2021 | Gail Giles-Gidney | |
| 21 December 2021 – present | Tanya Taylor | |

## Electoral results
### 2024

2024 New South Wales mayoral elections: Willoughby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Community Matters | Tanya Taylor | 18,314 | 48.97 |
| | Community Independents | Anna Greco | 8,779 | 23.47 |
| | Team Roy | Roy McCullagh | 4,449 | 11.90 |
| | Independent Labor | Hao Luo | 3,653 | 9.77 |
| | Independent | Jade Yu-Chun Hsueh | 2,207 | 5.90 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 37,402 | |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 2,168 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,570 | |
| Two-candidate-preferred result ||||||
| | Community Matters | Tanya Taylor | 19,605 | 66.66 |
| | Community Independents | Anna Greco | 9,804 | 33.34 |
| | Community Matters hold | Community Matters hold | Swing | N/A |

### 2021

2021 New South Wales mayoral elections: Willoughby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Community Matters | Tanya Taylor | 14,903 | 39.3 | +39.3 |
| | Independent Liberal | Angelo Rozos | 13,303 | 35.1 | +4.6 |
| | Independent Liberal | Craig Campbell | 9,736 | 25.7 | +25.7 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 37,942 | 96.2 | +1.2 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,511 | 3.8 | −1.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 39,453 | 85.0 | +4.0 |
| Two-candidate-preferred result ||||||
| | Community Matters | Tanya Taylor | 17,207 | 54.0 | +54.0 |
| | Independent Liberal | Angelo Rozos | 14,676 | 46.0 | +15.5 |
| | Community Matters gain from Independent Liberal | Community Matters gain from Independent Liberal | Swing | N/A | |

### 2017

2017 New South Wales mayoral elections: Willoughby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent Liberal | Gail Giles-Gidney | 24,713 | 69.5 | +18.7 |
| | Independent Liberal | Angelo Rozos | 10,869 | 30.5 | +30.5 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 35,582 | 95.0 | −1.3 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | | 5.0 | +1.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | | 81.0 | +12.3 |
| | Independent Liberal hold | Independent Liberal hold | Swing | +18.7 | |
* Changes compared with 2014 Willoughby mayoral by-election

### 2014 by-election

2014 Willoughby mayoral by-election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Independent Liberal | Stuart Coppock | 6,259 | 20.83 | −25.91 |
| | Independent Liberal | Tony Mustaca | 6,163 | 20.52 | +20.52 |
| | Independent Liberal | Gail Giles-Gidney | 6,144 | 20.45 | +20.45 |
| | Independent | John C. Owen | 5,036 | 16.76 | +16.76 |
| | Labor | Nic Wright | 1,950 | 6.49 | +6.49 |
| | Independent | Wendy Norton | 1,565 | 5.21 | +5.21 |
| | Independent | John Owens | 1,389 | 4.62 | +4.62 |
| | Independent Liberal | James Flynn | 673 | 2.24 | +2.24 |
| | Independent | David Stickland | 475 | 1.58 | +1.58 |
| | Independent | Steven Willoughby | 387 | 1.29 | +1.29 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 30,041 | 96.26 | +1.89 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,152 | 3.74 | −1.89 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 31,193 | 68.74 | |
| Notional three-candidate-preferred count ||||||
| | Independent Liberal | Stuart Coppock | 7,771 | 35.04 | |
| | Independent Liberal | Gail Giles-Gidney | 7,421 | 33.47 | |
| | Independent Liberal | Tony Mustaca | 6,980 | 31.48 | |
| Two-candidate-preferred result ||||||
| | Independent Liberal | Gail Giles-Gidney | 9,094 | 50.80 | +50.80 |
| | Independent Liberal | Stuart Coppock | 8,806 | 49.20 | +2.46 |
| | Independent Liberal gain from Independent | Independent Liberal gain from Independent | Swing | N/A | |

### 2012

2012 New South Wales mayoral elections: Willoughby :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Independent | Pat Reilly | 17,470 | 53.3 |
| | Independent Liberal | Stuart Coppock | 15,330 | 46.7 |
| Total formal votes | Total formal votes | Total formal votes | 32,800 | 94.4 |
| Informal votes | Informal votes | Informal votes | 1,959 | 5.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 34,759 | |
| | Independent hold | Independent hold | Swing | |