page_title: List of mayors of Rock Island, Illinois
section_title: Rock Island mayors
hierarchical_section_title: List of mayors of Rock Island, Illinois / Rock Island mayors
caption_attribution_description: English: Mayor William McConochie of Rock Island, Ill.
context_page_description: The office of Mayor of Rock Island, Illinois has existed since the Rock Island's incorporation in 1841 with Benjamin Barrett serving as the city's first mayor. Rock Island adopted a Mayor-Council form of government. It held that form of government for the next 110 years when in 1952 the city adopted a new popular form of city government, the council-manager form. Carl F. Bauer was elected as the first mayor under this form in 1953. This form of government still elected a mayor but the mayor is nothing more than a figurehead whereas the true power lay in the hands of the City Council and City Manager.
  The Rock Island mayoralty is a ceremonial position that is often used as a stepping stone for higher political office. Most of Rock Island's mayors did not go far past the mayoralty but a few did, mostly running for State Representative, State Senator, and U.S. Congress. Rock Island held partisan election throughout much of its history. For a brief time from 1911 to 1923, Rock Island's mayor served as a non-partisan mayor; then again in 1923 the City went back to partisan elections.
context_section_description: Rock Island's mayors since the city's first mayoral election in 1849:
caption: William McConochie
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