Konstantina Bequary "Konnie" Lukes (born October 13, 1941) is an American politician who served fifteen two-year terms as a Councilor-At-Large in the city of

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. She also served as the city's mayor from 2007 to 2009.

Early life

Lukes is the daughter of two

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

immigrants. She was born and raised in

Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Waterbury had a population of 114,403 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. The city is southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury i ...

and worked in her parents' restaurant while attending public school. Lukes worked her way through college and law school, graduating from

Simmons College Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include: * Simmons University Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a private university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1899 by ...

and the

University of Connecticut School of Law The University of Connecticut School of Law (UConn Law) is the law school associated with the University of Connecticut and located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. As ...

Career

Lukes serves as a public official in Worcester, Massachusetts. She began her public service as the first Chair of the Worcester City Manager's Commission on the Status of Women. She was appointed by Massachusetts Governor

Michael Dukakis Michael Stanley Dukakis ( ; born November 3, 1933) is an American politician and lawyer who served as governor of Massachusetts from 1975 to 1979 and from 1983 to 1991. He is the longest-serving governor in Massachusetts history and only the s ...

as a Commissioner for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. Lukes ran for office on the Worcester School Committee, eventually serving four terms, while also holding the position of Vice Chairman of the School Committee. She was elected to the Worcester City Council as a Councilor at Large in 1990, and also served as Vice Chairman of the Worcester City Council. Lukes unsuccessfully sought the city's mayoralty in

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

and

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

. Lukes was kicked off of Worcester's Democratic City Committee after she endorsed Republican

Paul Cellucci Argeo Paul Cellucci (; April 24, 1948 – June 8, 2013) was an American politician, lawyer, and diplomat. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 69th governor of Massachusetts from 1997 to 2001 and as the United States Ambassador to ...

in the 1998 Massachusetts gubernatorial election. Lukes was a frequent critic of

Tim Murray Timothy Patrick Murray (born June 7, 1968) is an American lawyer and member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party who served as the 71st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2 ...

during his mayoralty. In 2005, after receiving the second most votes for mayor of anyone also elected as an at-large council member, Lukes became vice-chair of the Worcester City Council by the rules of the city charter. In 2007, after Murray stepped-down as mayor, Lukes became mayor due to the city charter stating that the vice chair would become mayor in the instance of a vacancy. In January, 2008, she became the first popularly elected female Mayor in the history of the City of Worcester, having won the 2007 mayoral election. Lukes lost reelection as mayor in the 2009 mayoral election, and her tenure as mayor ended in January 2010. She unsuccessfully sought the mayoralty again in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, and

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

. In 2019, she announced that she would not seek and additional term on Worcester's city council. Konstantina Lukes is a practicing attorney and maintains a Law Office in

, specializing in Family law, Divorce, Probate and Real Estate law.

Personal life

Konnie Lukes was married to Dr. James Lukes (born 1935), died on April 26, 2020 and they have one son, Peter, who is currently serving as the Town Manager in Holden, Massachusetts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukes, Konstantina 1941 births Living people American people of Albanian descent Simmons University alumni University of Connecticut School of Law alumni Women mayors of places in Massachusetts Mayors of Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester, Massachusetts City Council members Massachusetts Democrats 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century mayors of places in Massachusetts Members of the Albanian Orthodox Church 20th-century Massachusetts politicians