Kathy Sheehan
75th Mayor of Albany
Assumed office
January 1, 2014
Preceded byGerald Jennings
Personal details
Born (1963-12-05) December 5, 1963 (age 60)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseRobert Sheehan
EducationBowling Green State University (BA)
Albany Law School (JD)

Katherine M. Sheehan (born December 5, 1963)[1] is an American politician and attorney serving as the 75th Mayor of Albany, New York. Prior to being elected Mayor, Sheehan served as City Treasurer from 2010 to 2013. On September 10, 2013, she defeated Corey Ellis in the Democratic primary for mayor of Albany. She later won the general election, becoming the first female mayor in Albany's history. She was re-elected in 2017 and 2021.

Early life and education

Sheehan was born outside Chicago and grew up in the Midwest. She is one of six children.[2] Sheehan earned a bachelor of science degree in journalism from Bowling Green State University in 1985.[3] In 1994, she earned a Juris Doctor from the Albany Law School.[4]

Career

After graduating from law school, she began working in the Albany office of Bond, Schoeneck & King.[2] In 1996, Sheehan took a position at Intermagnetics General Corporation in Latham, New York.[4] She helped negotiate the sale of the company to Philips Medical Systems.[2]

In 2009, Sheehan was elected City Treasurer of Albany, New York.[5]

Mayor of Albany

Main articles: 2013 Albany mayoral election, 2017 Albany mayoral election, and 2021 Albany mayoral election

On November 17, 2012, Sheehan announced herself as a 2013 candidate for mayor.[6] In May 2013, longtime Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings announced that he would not seek a sixth term in the fall elections.[7] Sheehan defeated former Common Councilor Corey Ellis in a Democratic mayoral primary on September 10, 2013.[8] Sheehan won the Democratic nomination with 7,468 votes (65.72%) to Ellis's 3,294 votes (29%).[9] On November 5, 2013, Sheehan won the general election with over 83% of the total vote.[10] When she took office on January 1, 2014, she became the first female mayor in the history of the city.[11]

During Sheehan's tenure, the city's total debt decreased from $140.1 million in 2014 to $106.8 million in 2018.[12] The city installed red-light cameras at various intersections in 2015.[13][14] In 2017, Sheehan announced a $1 million vacant building grant program.[15]

In February 2017, Sheehan—along with Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy and Congressman Paul Tonko—was criticized by Bishop Edward Scharfenberger for supporting and attending a rally for Planned Parenthood despite being a Roman Catholic politician.[16]

In her 2017 re-election bid, Sheehan faced opposition from Common Council President Carolyn McLaughlin and Common Councilor Frank Commisso Jr. in the Democratic primary. Sheehan won the primary with 51 percent of the vote.[17] Sheehan was re-elected Mayor on November 7, 2017, winning 70 percent of the vote; Commisso received 22 percent of the vote as an independent candidate.[18]

Personal life

Sheehan and her husband, Bob, were married in 1992.[19] The Sheehans have an adopted son named Jay.[20] In January 2018, the Sheehans purchased a house in the Ten Broeck Triangle section of the Arbor Hill neighborhood.[21]

References

  1. ^ Pollack, Elena. "From Fur Trade to Nanotech: An Interview With Mayor Kathy Sheehan". ahsthenest.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c February 21, TU Magazines on; PM, 2014 at 5:29 (February 21, 2014). "On the Cover: Meet Albany's first woman mayor". Capital Region Women@Work. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2019.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ^ "Life after Jerry: Albany mayoral candidate, Kathy Sheehan". Albany Business Review. May 24, 2013. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Bump, Bethany (November 5, 2013). "Kathy Sheehan to become Albany's first female mayor | The Daily Gazette". dailygazette.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  5. ^ Carleo-Evangelist, Jordan (November 13, 2012). "Sheehan spurs mayoral speculation". Times Union. Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  6. ^ Kristen V. Brown (November 19, 2012). "Sheehan announces bid for Albany mayor". Times Union (Albany). Archived from the original on September 11, 2022. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  7. ^ Benjamin, Ian (May 15, 2013). "DOCUMENT: Officials react to Jennings' decision not to run for re-election". The Record. Retrieved October 9, 2019.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Danielle Sanzone (September 10, 2013). "Sheehan wins Albany Mayor primary; Shahinfar is the city's next treasurer". The Record (Troy). Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2013.
  9. ^ "OFFICIAL RECANVASS (2013 primary)" (PDF). Albany County Board of Elections. September 25, 2013. p. 14. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 15, 2013.
  10. ^ "Albany County Election Results (2013)". app.albanycounty.com. Archived from the original on 2022-09-11. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  11. ^ Sanzone, Danielle (January 2, 2014). "Sheehan inaugurated as Albany's first female mayor". The Record.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ "In last four years, Albany cuts total debt by 24 percent - TimesUnion.com". www.timesunion.com. March 2, 2018. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  13. ^ Redick, Geoff (July 20, 2015). "Red Light Cameras Go Live in Albany". Spectrum News. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  14. ^ Carleo-Evangelist, Jordan (May 10, 2014). "Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan: Red-light cams about safety". Times Union. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  15. ^ Lucas, Dave (April 18, 2017). "Albany Mayor Announces $1,000,000 Vacant Building Grant Program". www.wamc.org. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2019.
  16. ^ Churchill, Chris (February 16, 2017). "Churchill: Bishop scolds Catholic politicians who stood with Planned Parenthood". Albany Times-Union. Archived from the original on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
  17. ^ Lucas, Dave (September 13, 2017). "Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan Cruises In Three-Way Democratic Primary". www.wamc.org. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  18. ^ "Albany County Election Results (2017)". app.albanycounty.com. Archived from the original on 2018-02-12. Retrieved 2018-02-18.
  19. ^ "Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy - A National Leader in Public Affairs Education - University at Albany - SUNY". www.albany.edu.[permanent dead link]
  20. ^ Brendan J. Lyons and Emily Masters (April 12, 2017). "Albany homicide victim has family connection to Mayor Sheehan". Albany Times-Union. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
  21. ^ "Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan buys fixer-upper in Arbor Hill". Times Union. January 11, 2018. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.

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