Gayle McLaughlin | |
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Mayor of Richmond | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office January 9, 2007 |
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Preceded by | Irma A. Anderson |
Succeeded by | N/A |
Personal details | |
Born | 1952 Chicago, Illinois |
Political party | Green Party |
Profession | Postal clerk, elderly caregiver, teacher, LD-tutor/clinician, activist |
Gayle McLaughlin ( /məˈklɔːflɨn/; born 1952 in Chicago, Illinois) is a California politician. She is a member of the Green Party and, since 2006, the mayor of Richmond, California. McLaughlin was elected on November 7, 2006 by a 242-vote[1] margin over incumbent mayor Irma A. Anderson.[2] Richmond is, as of 2009, the largest city in the country with a Green Party mayor.[3]
McLaughlin is a social activist who has participated in the peace, social justice, civil rights, and environmental movements. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology, with graduate study in psychology and education.
She was First elected to the City Council in 2004, winning one of five open seats, with 11,191 votes or 10% in 2004.[4] She has lived in Richmond since 2001.[5].
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Background and experience
McLaughlin was born into a working class union family. She is the middle child of five daughters born to a unionized carpenter and a housewife.
During the 1980s, McLaughlin was an activist with the Central American solidarity movement and a steering committee member of CISPES (Committee In Solidarity with the People of El Salvador). She also played an active role in the North Star Network, a national networking effort to unite progressives, and in coalition-building efforts with Rainbow/PUSH.
McLaughlin graduated summa cum laude from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts. She continued her education with two years of graduate study in psychology at Rhode Island College, with additional graduate study in education at U.C. Berkeley Extension.
McLaughlin has worked as a postal clerk, teacher, caregiver for the elderly, and tutor/clinician for children with learning disabilities. She has also worked in the capacity of support staff for various not-for-profit health and educational organizations.[citation needed]
According to published reports, McLaughlin filed for bankruptcy in 2003. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/10/06/BA1U1FOQA2.DTL $100,000 in student loans] and other forms of debt.
Richmond Progressive Alliance
On November 2, 2004, McLaughlin was elected to the city council of Richmond, California, in a non partisan race. She is a founder of the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA), a non-partisan progressive group in western Contra Costa County, composed of members of the Green Party, Democratic Party, Peace and Freedom Party and Independents.
In Richmond, McLaughlin's activism has found her in many local struggles in support of both social and environmental justice. She opposed the Patriot Act,</ref>. !-- the criminalization of the homeless, and Chevron's Richmond Refinery tax perks. She has also been involved in an ongoing effort to stop development on the North Richmond shoreline and supports the battle against job or salary cutbacks against Service Employees International Union
Mayor
First term
In the 2004 election McLaughlin was the first Green Party candidate ever to win a seat on Richmond California's City Council. In 2006, she decided to challenge incumbent African-American mayor Irma Anderson, whom she defeated by 242 votes.
Mayor McLaughlin is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,[6] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino.
In 2008, a member of McLaughlin's staff was implicated in a scheme to steal more than $50,000 from the City of Richmond by creating phony contributions to charitable organizations. According to published reports, McLaughlin approved some of the phony contributions. The staffmember was fired when this came to light. Contra Costa County District Attoney's Office prosecuted. The staffmember plead guilty and served time along with making restitution of the stolen funds.
Second term
McLaughlin won a second term in office in the 2010 municipal election.[7] She overcame a well funded offensive by local police and firefighter unions to unseat her during the election campaign. She was sworn into office on January 11, 2011 to her second term.
Veteran's Day 2011
On Veteran's Day 2011, Fox News bashed the mayor, making an issue of McLaughlin attending an occupy rally "as a strong supporter of Veterans for Peace and Iraq Vets Against the War" not to attend a Veteran's Day symbolic portrayal of a ship-launching at the former Richmond Shipyards. The report focused entirely on it being "disrespectful". It made unsubstantiated claims of this being highly controversial and that the mayor is "known for controversy", but these where not specified. The activities of McLaughlin were used to attack the Occupy movement. [8]
See also
Source
- RichmondProgressiveAlliance.net "Asleep at the Wheel in Richmond", Chip Johnson, San Francisco Chronicle (July 12, 2004)
References
- ^ KESQ.com Palm Springs, Coachella Valley - Weather, News, Sports: Our Apologies
- ^ Green Party likely to win in Richmond mayor's race
- ^ Mayor Anderson concedes race
- ^ She was elected to her first term as mayor in November of 2006 and was relected in November of 2010. Election Results
- ^ City of Richmond website, Gayle McLaughlin profile, retrieved May 27, 2006
- ^ "Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members". http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/about/members.shtml.
- ^ "Green mayor Gayle McLaughlin thanks supporters for her re-election, and more". Independent Political Report. November 5, 2010. http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2010/11/green-mayor-gayle-mclaughlin-thanks-supporters-for-her-re-election-and-more/.
- ^ Mayor snubs veterans to attend occupy rally
External links
- GayleMcLaughlin.net - Official website
- ContraCostaTimes.com - 'Council Pool Not Deep' (editorial), Contra Costa Times (October 27, 2006)
- RichmondGreens.net - 'Many Neighborhoods - One Richmond', Richmond Greens
- Editorial by McLaughlin on Curbing violence
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