Chris Coursey (born November 21, 1954) is an American politician and former journalist serving as a member of the

Sonoma County Board of Supervisors The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors is a governing body with jurisdiction over Sonoma County, California Sonoma County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, its population was 488, ...

. Representing District 3, Coursey assumed office in 2021. He previously served as the mayor of

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city in and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay A ...

from December 6, 2016 to December 18, 2018.

Early life and education

The son of a military officer, Coursey attended six different schools before graduating from

Regis Jesuit High School Regis Jesuit High School is a private, Catholic, college preparatory high school administered by the Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus in Aurora, Colorado. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1877. The high school shares much of ...

Aurora, Colorado Aurora (, ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, Arapahoe, Adams County, Colorado, Adams, and Douglas County, Colorado, Douglas List of counties in Colorado, counti ...

. He had previously lived in twelve cities across five states. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and sociology from the

University of Northern Colorado The University of Northern Colorado (UNCO or UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado, United States. It was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has offi ...

Career

Coursey worked as a daily journalist in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

before moving to Santa Rosa, where he covered crime, government, and politics ''

The Press Democrat ''The Press Democrat'', with the largest circulation in California's North Bay, is a daily newspaper published in Santa Rosa, California. History The newspaper was founded in 1897 by Ernest L. Finley, Grant Richards, and Charles O. Dunbar, w ...

''. In 2007, he left his job to work on the

Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit Sonoma–Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) is a commuter rail service and bicycle-pedestrian pathway project in Sonoma and Marin counties of the U.S. state of California. When completed, the entire system will serve a corridor between Clover ...

, (SMART) train project. Coursey was elected to the Santa Rosa City Council in 2014, and served as mayor from 2016 to 2018. His vice mayor was Jack Tibbets, the youngest council member in city history. Coursey won election to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on March 3, 2020, with 54% of the vote over three-term incumbent supervisor Shirlee Zane. Coursey’s win marked the first successful challenge to an incumbent of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors since 1984.

Personal life

Coursey's wife died of cancer in 2010. He has four children. Coursey dated the widow Zane, his 2020 election opponent, from 2011 to 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coursey, Chris 1954 births Living people People from Santa Rosa, California Mayors of places in California Journalists from Colorado 21st-century American journalists University of Northern Colorado alumni 21st-century American male writers California city council members American male journalists 21st-century California politicians Journalists from California County supervisors in California