Gerald David Jennings | |
---|---|
74th Mayor of Albany | |
In office January 1, 1994 –December 31, 2013 | |
Preceded by | Thomas Michael Whalen III |
Succeeded by | Kathy Sheehan |
Personal details | |
Born | Albany,New York,U.S. | July 31,1948
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | SUNY Brockport University at Albany,SUNY |
Profession | Educator |
Gerald David "Jerry" Jennings (born July 31,1948) is an American former politician from the state of New York who was the 74th mayor of Albany. A Democrat,Jennings won five terms as mayor of Albany and served in that capacity for 20 years. At the time of his retirement in 2013,Jennings was the second longest tenured mayor in the city's history. [1]
Born in North Albany,Gerald "Jerry" Jennings began his career in the Albany City School District after graduating with a bachelor's degree from SUNY Brockport in 1970 [2] and a Master of Science degree from the University at Albany in 1976. [3]
Jennings served for 13 years on the Albany Common Council representing the 11th Ward.
Jennings won an upset in the 1993 Democratic mayoral primary—the real contest in this heavily Democratic city—over Harold Joyce,who had the Democratic Party’s formal endorsement and had only recently been its chairman. He went on to win the general election,becoming the 74th mayor of Albany. Jennings was re-elected four times and retired as mayor at the end of 2013.
In a break from his party,Jennings endorsed George Pataki,a Republican,in the 2002 New York gubernatorial race. The mayor has also supported now-former U.S. Representative John E. Sweeney (R-Clifton Park). Jennings has been a strong proponent of the plan to build a convention center in downtown Albany. He hosted a call-in radio show on WGDJ every Friday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
In 2006,Jennings was voted out of his position on the New York State Democratic Committee by state Assemblyman John McEneny. The mayor had served on the committee since 2002. This race was a rematch of the 1997 primary,when McEneny unsuccessfully challenged Jennings for the Democratic mayoral nomination.
The Albany Times Union reported on November 25,2008 that Jennings would seek re-election for a fifth term in 2009. The story noted that "Safety in the city,with its youth violence and gun crimes,continues to mar Jennings' leadership and Albany's image." [4] Jennings's opponent for the Democratic primary,Albany Common Council member Corey Ellis,announced his candidacy on March 2,2009. (Common Council President Shawn Morris was originally also a candidate,but she dropped out over the summer.) Jennings won the primary,held on September 15,2009,and went on to defeat Republican Nathan Lebron on November 3 in the general election. [5]
Jennings served as a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, [6] [ better source needed ] a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition was co-chaired by former Boston mayor Tom Menino and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Beginning in 2002,the Albany Police Department endured a scandal regarding illicitly purchased machine guns. [7]
In November 2008,local media reported that for 15 years the Albany Police Department has engaged in an unapproved effort to avoid parking fines. It was alleged that an unofficial,secret system resulted in "zero fine" tickets being issued to an unknown number of local drivers who either had special windshield decals or were on VIP lists. Both the New York State Comptroller's Office and the Albany Common Council investigated the practice,and the Albany Times Union made a request under the Freedom of Information Law to obtain more information about it. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli's audit faulted the city for "lax oversight that allowed at least two informal systems for skirting parking fines to flourish." In November 2009,Jennings denied that he knew of any abuses in regard to parking tickets,and also directed that the issuance of no-fine tickets be ceased. [8]
2005 election for Mayor of Albany
2006 election for New York State Democratic Committee [9]
2009 Democratic Primary for Mayor of Albany [5]
2009 election for Mayor of Albany . [10]
Albany is the capital and oldest city in the U.S. state of New York,and the seat of and most populous city in Albany County. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River,about 10 miles (16 km) south of its confluence with the Mohawk River.
The Working Families Party (WFP) is a progressive minor political party in the United States,founded in New York in 1998. There are active chapters in California,Colorado,Connecticut,Delaware,the District of Columbia,Georgia,Illinois,Maryland,Nevada,New Jersey,New Mexico,New York,Ohio,Oregon,Pennsylvania,Rhode Island,Texas,West Virginia,and Wisconsin.
The Green Party of New York is the affiliate of the Green Party of the United States in the U.S. state of New York. It was founded in 1992 and is a part of the Green Party movement. The Party has had ballot access at various points in its history.
Arthur Owen Eve is a retired American politician who served as a Democratic member of the New York State Assembly (1967–2002) and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly (1979–2002) representing districts in Buffalo,New York. He was the first Dominican-American elected to public office in the United States,and the first African American to win a Buffalo mayoral Democratic primary but was defeated in the following mayoral election.
The 2006 New York Comptroller Election took place on November 7,2006,with the incumbent,Alan Hevesi winning against Republican challenger Chris Callaghan. Hevesi was plagued by scandals during the campaign involving misuse of state funds. Hevesi won the election,resigning a few days before his second term would have begun.
The 2010 New York gubernatorial election was held on Tuesday,November 2,2010. Incumbent Democratic governor David Paterson,elected as lieutenant governor in 2006 as the running mate of Eliot Spitzer,initially ran for a full term but dropped out of the race. Democratic New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo defeated Republican Carl Paladino to become the next governor of New York.
On November 7,2006,New York,along with the rest of the country held elections for the United States House of Representatives. Democrats picked up 3 House seats,the 19th,the 20th,and the 24th.
John "Jack" McEneny is an American politician of the Democratic Party. He was a member of the New York State Assembly,representing about half of Albany County in the 104th Assembly District,from 1993 through 2012.
2009 United States elections were held on Tuesday,November 3. During this off-year election,the only seats up for election in the United States Congress were special elections held throughout the year. In total,only the seat representing New York's 23rd congressional district changed party hands,increasing the Democratic Party's majority over the Republicans in the United States House of Representatives,258–177.
The 2010 United States Senate special election in New York took place on November 2,2010,concurrently with other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Governor David Paterson had appointed Kirsten Gillibrand to serve as United States Senator from New York until the 2010 special election,replacing former senator Hillary Clinton,who resigned to serve as Secretary of State in the Barack Obama administration. The winner of the special election was to complete the term ending in January 2013. The special election took place concurrently with the regular election for the Senate seat held by Charles Schumer and the 2010 New York gubernatorial election.
New York held various elections in 2009.
Pedro Espada Jr. is an American former politician. A Democrat,Espada served multiple nonconsecutive terms in the New York State Senate.
The history of Albany,New York,began long before the first interaction of Europeans with the native Indian tribes,as they had long inhabited the area. The area was originally inhabited by an Algonquian Indian tribe,the Mohicans,as well as the Iroquois,five nations of whom the easternmost,the Mohawk,had the closest relations with traders and settlers in Albany.
The Albany Convention Center (ACC) was a proposed convention center to be located in downtown Albany,New York. The complex was initially proposed by Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings in 1994. In 2004,the Albany Convention Center Authority (ACCA) was established by the New York Legislature as a New York State public-benefit corporation to develop plans for the ACC. Supported by Governor George Pataki,the project was awarded a $75 million grant in 2006. The anticipated price tag of the project was approximately $220 million,and a site between Broadway,Hudson Avenue,and the South Mall Arterial was selected. In 2008,2009,and 2010,the ACCA acquired much of the property that made up the proposed site.
Steven Francis "Steve" McLaughlin is an American politician serving as County Executive of Rensselaer County,New York. A Republican,McLaughlin represented the 107th District in the New York State Assembly from 2011 to 2017;the district included parts of Albany,Columbia,Greene and Rensselaer Counties in New York's Capital Region. McLaughlin was elected Rensselaer County Executive in November 2017.
The history of Albany,New York from 1860 to 1900 begins in 1860,prior to the start of the Civil War,and ends in 1900.
The history of Albany,New York from 1983 to present begins with the death of Erastus Corning 2nd,Albany's longest serving mayor. When Corning died in 1983,Thomas Whalen assumed the mayorship and was reelected twice. Albany saw a significant influx of federal dollars earmarked for restoring historic structures. What Corning had saved from destruction,Whalen refurbished. The Mayor's Office of Special Events was created in an effort to increase the number of festivals and artistic events in the city,including a year-long Dongan Charter tricentennial celebration in 1986. Whalen is credited for an "unparalleled cycle of commercial investment and development" in Albany due to his "aggressive business development programs".
Katherine M. Sheehan is an American politician and attorney serving as the 75th Mayor of Albany,New York. Prior to being elected Mayor,Sheehan served as City Treasurer from 2010 to 2013. On September 10,2013,she defeated Corey Ellis in the Democratic primary for mayor of Albany. She later won the general election,becoming the first female mayor in Albany's history. She was re-elected in 2017 and 2021.
Patricia Fahy is an American politician and a member of the Democratic Party,who currently represents parts of Albany County in the New York State Assembly,including all of the city of Albany. She was previously president of the Albany City Board of Education. Fahy will succeed retiring incumbent state senator Neil Breslin of New York's 46th State Senate District after defeating Republican Ted Danz in the 2024 election.
Elections are held every four years in the off-year immediately after United States presidential election years in Albany,New York,to elect the city's mayor.