Gerald Jennings

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Gerald David Jennings
Gerald Jennings
Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 1, 1994
Preceded by Thomas Michael Whalen III
Born 1948
Albany, New York
Nationality American
Political party Democratic Party
Profession Educator

Gerald David "Jerry" Jennings (b. 1948 in Albany, NY) is the mayor of Albany, New York, United States. A Democrat, Jennings won a shocking upset in the 1993 mayoral primary over Harold Joyce, who had the Democratic Party’s formal endorsement and had only recently been its chairman. This primary victory is often viewed as marking the end of the Corning-O'Connell machine era in Albany.[citation needed] In 1993, he won the general election, becoming the 74th mayor of Albany. Jennings is currently serving his fourth term. By the end of this term, he will be the third longest serving mayor in Albany's history (after Erastus Corning 2nd and Philip S. Van Rensselaer). Mayor Jennings has announced that he intends to run for a fifth term.[citation needed]

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[edit] Background

The mayor often goes by the name Jerry. Born in North Albany, he began his career in the Albany City School District and served for 13 years on the Albany Common Council representing the 11th Ward before being elected mayor. He also served as alderman. 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 Sweeney (R-Clifton Park). Jennings has been a strong proponent of the plan to build a convention center in downtown Albany. He hosts a call-in radio show on WROW every Friday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.[1]

[edit] Illegal Guns

Mayor Jennings is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition[2], a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets." The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Ironically, the Albany Police Department is currently involved in controversy surrounding the illegal purchase of up to 43 fully-automatic weapons by police officers claiming the weapons were for official usage. The Department has denied that any of the weapons were ever intended or used in any official capacity while denying media and Common Council requests for information on the weapons. At least two of the weapons have shown up in retail gun stores. The city has not released any information regarding the officers who purchased the weapons or the current status of the weapons, and claims no records exist of the weapons. The current Chief of Police was appointed by Jennings. [3]

[edit] Albany Budget

Albany has a strong-mayor form of government in which the city legislature (the Common Council) can vote on the budget, but a two-thirds majority are needed to override any disagreement with the Mayor. Albany's current 2008 budget of 161.8 million has been called a "bad budget" with significant borrowing from reserves to bring it into balance. In 2007, the Common Council voted 9-6 to support the Mayor's budget, although no cost-cutting measures were proposed or adopted. The City Comptroller has said "we cannot afford the government we have now" [4]

[edit] Recent Elections

In the 2006 primary, 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.

[edit] Electoral history

2005 election for Mayor of Albany

    • Gerald D. Jennings (D) (inc.), 68.6%
    • Alice Green (G), 24.8%
    • Joseph P. Sullivan (R), 6.5%

2006 election for New York State Democratic Committee [2]

[edit] Personal Life

Gerald is a lifetime member of the Zeppelin Enthusiasts Council (ZAC), and has served on the board of directors since 1997.


[edit] References

  1. ^ WROW web site
  2. ^ Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members.
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ Democracy In Albany - New York Politics

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Thomas Michael Whalen III		 Mayor of Albany, New York
1994 –		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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