Susan Scher Weiner (c. 1946 – August 11, 2012) was an American politician from U.S. state of
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, and was the first woman to become
Mayor of Savannah. She was a
Republican.
Background
Weiner, who was
Jewish
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
, was born as Susan Scher in
Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
and graduated from
SUNY New Paltz
The State University of New York at New Paltz (SUNY New Paltz or New Paltz) is a public university in New Paltz, New York. It traces its origins to the New Paltz Classical School, a secondary institution founded in 1828 and reorganized as an a ...
. She moved to Savannah in the mid-1980s.
Political career
Weiner ran for
Mayor of Savannah in 1991. She won the Republican nomination without opposition and defeated five-term
incumbent
The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election.
There may or may not be ...
and
Democratic nominee
John Rousakis with 54% of the vote. She conducted a
law and order campaign in which she promised to address local crime issues. She also advocated "privatizing some city services, such as sanitation, garbage collection, road maintenance and recreational facility maintenance."
Weiner was
the first woman mayor of Savannah.
Under her tenure, six council members were Democrats; only two were Republicans. Eventually, Weiner abandoned most proposals from her platform. In 1995, she was narrowly defeated by Councilor
Floyd Adams Jr., a Democrat and an
African-American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
.
Later life and death
Weiner was a trainer for
the Coverdell Leadership Institute from 1996 to 2004. In 2004, then Governor
Sonny Perdue
George Ervin "Sonny" Perdue III (born December 20, 1946) is an American politician, veterinarian, and businessman who served as the 31st United States secretary of agriculture from 2017 to 2021.
A member of the Republican Party (United States), ...
appointed her as executive director of the Georgia Council for the Arts.
Weiner died from complications of cancer in
Gainesville, Georgia
Gainesville is a city and the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it has been calle ...
on August 11, 2012 at the age of 66.
See also
*
List of mayors of Savannah, Georgia
The mayor is the highest elected official in Savannah, Georgia. Since its incorporation in 1789, the city has had 67 mayors. On May 27, 1958, the term for mayor was extended from two years to four years by popular vote and with approval of the st ...
*
List of first women mayors in the United States
Footnotes
External links
Mayor's official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiner, Susan
2012 deaths
20th-century mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state)
Mayors of Savannah, Georgia
Women mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state)
Jewish American mayors
Jewish American women in politics
Year of birth uncertain
Jewish American people in Georgia (U.S. state) politics
Politicians from Albany, New York
Georgia (U.S. state) Republicans
21st-century American Jews
21st-century American women
Jews from Georgia (U.S. state)
State University of New York at New Paltz alumni