Christopher Doherty is an American politician and former mayor of

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, United States. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Scranton is the most populous city in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the ...

Political career

He was first elected mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania, in 2001. Doherty served as a speaker and panelist for the Brookings Institution American Assembly and Metropolitan Policy Program as well as the Comparative Urban Studies Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center. Doherty was elected to a third term in November 2009. He was elected president of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities (PLCM) in 2006. In 2008, Doherty received the PLCM Distinguished Community Service Award, the Local Government Award for Excellence, and was inducted into the Keystone Society for Tourism. Doherty was recognized by the

United States Conference of Mayors The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) is the official non-partisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. The cities are each represented by their mayors or other chief elected officials. The organization was founded ...

in 2008 for his efforts to protect the City’s tree canopy. In addition, he serves as a member of the steering committee for the Mayor’s Innovation Project, a learning network of America’s mayors dedicated to efficient government. He supports a woman's right to abortion.

Personal life

Doherty is a graduate of the

Scranton Preparatory School Scranton Preparatory School is a co-educational Jesuit high school located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. History Scranton Prep opened its doors in 1944. At the request of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton and of Catholic families ...

and the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded by educators Benedict Joseph Fenwick and Thomas F. Mulledy in 1843 under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. ...

. He and his wife, Donna, have six children. His great-great-grandfather,

Hughie Jennings Hugh Ambrose Jennings (April 2, 1869 – February 1, 1928) was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager from 1891 to 1925. Jennings was a leader, both as a batter and as a shortstop, with the Baltimore Orioles teams that won N ...

, is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Political future

Doherty was a candidate in the

2010 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election The 2010 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2010, to elect the List of Governors of Pennsylvania, Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, concurrently with 2010 United States Senate elections, elections to the ...

until February 17, 2010, when he conceded and entered the race to succeed retiring Democratic

state senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...

(and minority leader)

Bob Mellow Robert J. Mellow is an American politician from Pennsylvania who served as a Democratic member of the Pennsylvania State Senate for the 22nd District from 1971 to 2010. He also served as the Minority Floor Leader from 1994 to 2010 and Preside ...

in the 22nd District. Doherty lost in the primary, however, to John Blake. On January 7, 2013, ''

The Scranton Times-Tribune ''The Scranton Times-Tribune'' is a morning newspaper serving the Scranton, Pennsylvania, area. Until August 2023, it was the flagship title of Times-Shamrock Communications and run by three generations of the Lynett-Haggerty family. It is now ow ...

'' reported that Doherty would not seek re-election as Mayor of Scranton.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doherty, Christopher Living people Mayors of Scranton, Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Democrats College of the Holy Cross alumni 1958 births