Mayors of Oneida

In the Town of Oneida, the mayor serves as the chief executive officer of the town. There have been 21 mayors in the town’s history. The first, Leland Carson, was elected in 1917, the same year the town was incorporated.

For many years, the Oneida mayor served a two-year term. It was not until the 1980s that it changed to a four-year term. The position was also a part-time position with nominal pay until the 1980s, when it changed to a full-time position. Denzil Pennington was the town’s first full-time mayor.

In addition to day-to-day management of the town and its employees, the mayor has one vote on the town’s governing body, which also includes four aldermen who are elected on the same cycle as the mayor.

The town’s current mayor is Lori Phillips-Jones. The next mayoral election will be held in November 2027.

Through the Years

Leland Carson, 1917-1919
G.K. Young, 1919-1921
William Claude Terry, 1921-1927
Sam A. Bertram, 1927-1929
Inman Terry, 1929-1933
Sam A. Blair, 1933-1937
C.W. Wright, 1937-1938
Arnold Colditz, 1938-1939
Archie Newport, 1939-1941
C. Lee Smith, 1941-1947
J.D. Caldwell, 1947-1949
C. Lee Smith, 1949-1955
Eugene McDonald, 1955-1959
John Lee West, 1959-1965
William N. Proctor, 1965-1973
Robert Carson, 1973-1979
Rodney West, 1979-1980
C.L. Strunk, 1980-1981
Denzil Pennington, 1981-1994
Jack E. Lay, 1995-2023
Lori Phillips-Jones, 2023-Present