The mayor of Meridian, Mississippi is elected every four years by the population at large. Being the chief executive officer of the city, he or she is responsible for administering and leading the day-to-day operations of city government. The current mayor of the city is Percy Bland, who was elected in 2013.
City Hall is located at 601 24th Avenue; the mayor's office is located on the second floor of the building.
William Sturges, a carpetbagger from the North, succeeded Cathey and served until 1871. The Meridian race riot of 1871 occurred during his administration and resulted in the townspeople running him out of the city in March. John W. Smith was appointed by scalawag governor James L. Alcorn in March and served until September when he was replaced by Grafton Baker. Baker died in October 1871 and was replaced by B.T. Rush, who served until December when he was replaced by W.P. Evans, who served until 1873.
A marker was unveiled at the mayor's former residence on the corner of 30th Avenue and 10th Street in June 2009. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 but was later demolished because of its dilapidated condition and replaced by a Habitat for Humanity house.
Barry, with a campaign motto of "Back to Basics", focused on the city's basic services, such as garbage collection, sewage treatment, and roads. The renovation of Meridian City Hall, begun under the Smith administration, was completed while Barry was in office, and a new police station was built as well, something Barry said was a "priority" for her administration.