Kate Gallego
Kate Gallego | |
---|---|
62nd Mayor of Phoenix | |
Assumed office March 21, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Thelda Williams |
Member of the Phoenix City Council from the 8th district | |
In office January 2, 2014 – August 7, 2018 | |
Preceded by | Michael Johnson |
Succeeded by | Felicita Mendoza |
Personal details | |
Born | Katharine Sarah Widland October 21, 1981 Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | |
Children | 1 |
Education | Harvard University (BA) University of Pennsylvania (MBA) |
Website | Campaign website |
Katharine Sarah Gallego (née Widland, born October 21, 1981)[1] is an American politician serving as the 62nd mayor of Phoenix, Arizona since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served on the Phoenix City Council from 2014 to 2018.
Early life and education
Gallego grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[2] Her parents are attorneys who moved to Albuquerque from Chicago after the 1979 Chicago blizzard.[3][4] She grew up with asthma, which made air quality important to her.[5]
Gallego graduated from Albuquerque Academy, where she served as student body vice president.[3] She earned a bachelor's degree in environmental studies from Harvard College and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.[3][6]As a result the Wharton School of Business added her to their "40 Under 40" list.[7]
Political career
Gallego worked for the Arizona Democratic Party, the Arizona Office of Tourism,[5] as well as on economic development and strategic planning for the Salt River Project. On November 5, 2013, Gallego was elected to the Phoenix City Council for the 8th district; she was reelected in 2017. With Greg Stanton, the Mayor of Phoenix, running for the United States House of Representatives in the 2018 elections, Gallego announced she would run in a special election to succeed him.[8] She resigned from the city council effective August 7, 2018.[9]
In the first round of the mayoral election, Gallego received 45 percent and Daniel Valenzuela received 26 percent. She and Valenzuela advanced to a runoff election on March 12,[10] which Gallego won.[11] Gallego is the second woman to hold the office since Phoenix's founding.[11] She is also the youngest mayor of one of the ten largest cities in the United States.[3]
Personal life
Gallego is Jewish,[4] celebrating her bat mitzvah in Albuquerque.[3]
While attending Harvard, Kate met Ruben Gallego at a charity auction following the September 11 attacks.[5] They moved to Phoenix in 2004,[2] and married in 2010. The couple announced their divorce in 2016, prior to the birth of their child, Michael.[12]
See also
References
- ^ "Phi Beta Kappa elects 92 seniors to Harvard chapter". The Harvard Gazette.
- ^ a b "What does the next Phoenix mayor need most: Backing or brains?". The Arizona Republic. October 24, 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Albuquerque native elected mayor of Phoenix » Albuquerque Journal". Abqjournal.com. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ a b "Kate Gallego: Caring is More than a Campaign | Arizona Jewish Life". Azjewishlife.com. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Kate Expectations | People". Phoenixmag.com. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ "Get to know the Phoenix mayoral candidates". KNXV-TV. October 27, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ "City Council District 8 Councilwoman Kate Gallego Bio". www.phoenix.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ "Councilwoman Kate Gallego enters Phoenix mayoral race". Azcentral.com. October 9, 2017. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ "Phoenix Councilwoman Kate Gallego to resign Aug. 7 to run for mayor". Azcentral.com. July 26, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ The Associated Press (November 6, 2018). "AP: Phoenix mayor will be a runoff between Kate Gallego and Daniel Valenzuela | Arizona Politics". azfamily.com. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
- ^ a b Vetnar, Ali (March 12, 2019). "Kate Gallego elected as Phoenix mayor, 3rd woman to hold position". KTAR. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ Gardiner, Dustin (December 21, 2016). "Phoenix Vice Mayor Kate Gallego and Rep. Ruben Gallego to divorce". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
External links
- 1980s births
- 21st-century American politicians
- 21st-century American women politicians
- Arizona city council members
- Jewish mayors of places in the United States
- Harvard College alumni
- Living people
- Mayors of Phoenix, Arizona
- Jewish American people in Arizona politics
- Politicians from Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumni
- Women city councillors in Arizona
- Women mayors of places in Arizona
- Arizona Democrats
- 21st-century American Jews