Katherine M. Sheehan (born December 5, 1963) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 75th

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Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York C ...

. 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

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and

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Early life and education

Sheehan was born outside

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and grew up in the Midwest. She is one of six children. Sheehan earned a bachelor of science degree in journalism from

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

in 1985. In 1994, she earned a Juris Doctor from the

Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at Al ...

Career

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

Philips Medical Systems Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters is ...

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

Mayor of Albany

On November 17, 2012, Sheehan announced herself as a 2013 candidate for mayor. In May 2013, longtime Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings announced that he would not seek a sixth term in the fall elections. Sheehan defeated former Common Councilor Corey Ellis in a Democratic mayoral primary on September 10, 2013. Sheehan won the Democratic nomination with 7,468 votes (65.72%) to Ellis's 3,294 votes (29%). On November 5, 2013, Sheehan won the general election with over 83% of the total vote. When she took office on January 1, 2014, she became the first female mayor in the history of the city. During Sheehan's tenure, the city's total debt decreased from $140.1 million in 2014 to $106.8 million in 2018. The city installed red-light cameras at various intersections in 2015. In 2017, Sheehan announced a $1 million vacant building grant program. In February 2017, Sheehan—along with Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy and Congressman

Paul Tonko Paul David Tonko ( ; born June 18, 1949) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2013. He represented the 21st congressional district from 2009 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Tonko has been called a s ...

—was criticized by Bishop Edward Scharfenberger for supporting and attending a rally for Planned Parenthood despite being a Roman Catholic politician. 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. 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.

Personal life

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

References

External links

Office of the city treasurer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheehan, Kathy 1963 births 2016 United States presidential electors 2020 United States presidential electors 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Albany Law School alumni American Roman Catholics Bowling Green State University alumni City and town treasurers in the United States Living people Mayors of Albany, New York New York (state) Democrats Women in New York (state) politics Women mayors of places in New York (state)