Mercer Island, Washington

How Mercer Island is governed

Form of government not yet listed.

1 of 14 positions listed. Gray dashed boxes are placeholders waiting for a name.

• Mayor

  Executive

  • Salim Nice per Wikidata

  The city's chief elected official. Presides over the executive branch, proposes the budget and represents the city.

  • City Manager / Administrator

    Executive

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    The professional administrator who runs day-to-day operations (in some cities appointed by the council instead of the mayor).

    • Police Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the police department.

    • Fire Chief

      Administration & departments

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      Leads the fire and emergency services department.

    • Public Works Director

      Administration & departments

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      Streets, water, sewer, and city buildings.

    • Finance Director

      Administration & departments

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      The budget, taxes, and city accounts.

    • Planning & Zoning Director

      Administration & departments

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      Land use, zoning, building permits.

    • Parks & Recreation Director

      Administration & departments

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      Parks, programs, and public facilities.

• City Council

  Legislative

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  The elected body that passes ordinances, sets the tax rate and approves the budget.

  • City Clerk

    Administration & departments

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    Keeps the official records, runs meeting agendas and, often, local elections.

  • City Attorney

    Administration & departments

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    The city's lawyer; advises officials and prosecutes ordinance violations.

  • Boards & Commissions

    Legislative

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    Citizen advisory bodies, such as planning, zoning appeals and library boards.

• Municipal Court

  Judicial

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  Hears traffic, ordinance and other minor cases.

  • Municipal Judge

    Judicial

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    Presides over the municipal court.

Website

mercerisland.gov

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Population over time

From 22,699 in 2010 to 25,748 in 2020 (+13.4%).

History

The western side of the island was home to two Snoqualmie settlements prior to the 19th-century arrival of European American settlers in the Puget Sound region. Mercer Island was named for a member of the Mercer family of Seattle by 1860; Thomas Mercer, Aaron Mercer, and Asa Mercer, members of the Mercer family from Virginia, often rowed between the island and Seattle to pick berries, hunt, and fish. The first non-indigenous people to permanently settle on the island, Charles and Agnes Olds, arrived in 1885 and were followed by 15 other families within five years. The first large community, East Seattle, was toward the northwest side of the island—near the McGilvara neighborhood. Charles C. Calkins created the settlement in 1887 and later built a large and gilded resort, the Calkins Hotel. The hotel was reached via a steamboat ferry between Madison Park, Leschi Park, and the Eastside. Guests included President Benjamin Harrison, of 1901, among other well-to-do dignitaries from Seattle to the East Coast of the United States. Burned by a mysterious fire, the hotel was razed during 1908.

The Calkins Landing continued service and presumably aided the establishment of a more permanent population. A denser urban community with business district developed toward the central northern island between the McGilvra neighborhood and Luther Burbank Park. This community now composes the majority of the island's crest through the Middle Island neighborhood.

In 1923, the wooden East Channel Bridge was built to connect the island with Bellevue; it was later replaced by a new concrete span in the 1930s. In 1930, George W. Lightfoot requested a bridge between Mercer Island and Seattle. The Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge, currently the second longest floating bridge in the world, was built and opened in 1940. In 1989, a second bridge, the Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge, was built parallel to the Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge. The third East Channel Bridge, Lacey V. Murrow Memorial Bridge, and Homer M. Hadley Memorial Bridge were incorporated into the route of Interstate 90 from Seattle, across Mercer Island, and into Bellevue.

The opening of the first floating bridge made Mercer Island into a bedroom community for commuters, which accelerated after bridge tolls were removed in 1949. The island's population grew from 1,200 in 1940 to 4,500 in 1950, necessitating municipal services that the King County government could not provide. The City of Mercer Island was incorporated from East Seattle on July 5, 1960, and comprised all of the island with the exception of the 70-acre (280,000 m2) business district. Just over one month later, August 9, the Town of Mercer Island was incorporated from that business district, creating an enclave. The two municipalities merged as the City of Mercer Island on May 19, 1970, after several failed attempts at annexing each other.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Other cities in Washington

• Seattle 737,015
• Spokane 228,989
• Tacoma 219,346
• Vancouver 190,915
• Bellevue 151,854
• Kent 136,588
• Everett 110,629
• Renton 106,785

All Washington cities →