Heather Fargo
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Heather Fargo (born December 12, 1952, in Oakland, California) has been Mayor of Sacramento, California since 2001. She was elected Mayor in November of 2000; replacing Jimmie Yee who served for Interim Mayor for over a year after the death of former Mayor Joe Serna.
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[edit] Early Life and Education
Heather Fargo was raised in the Central Valley, primarily in Stockton where her father was an important city official. Heather Fargo received a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Planning and Management from the University of California, Davis in 1975. In 1981, Fargo earned a Certificate of Completion from the Revenue Sources Management School in Boulder, Colorado. Mayor Fargo also completed the State and Local Government Executive Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 1991.
[edit] City Council Years
Heather Fargo was first elected to the Sacramento City Council in 1989 representing District One. She was re-elected in 1994 and 1998. Prior to becoming Mayor full-time, she was employed as a manager of the California State Parks Volunteer Program.
[edit] 2000 Mayoral Campaign
Several candidates ran in the 2000 mayor campaign as Interim Mayor Jimmie Yee declined to seek a full term choosing instead to focus again full time on his City Council duties. Fargo, the 1st District City Councilwoman was a candidate as was Rob Kerth, the 2nd District Councilman, Robbie Waters, the 7th District Councilman (and a Republican), 3rd District Councilman Steve Cohn, Businessman and Attorney Joe Genshlea, and community activist Julie Padilla. Fargo and Kerth made it into the runoff.
[edit] 2004 Mayoral Campaign
Fargo did not face as stiff competition in her 2004 reelection. Her main opponent was Ross W. Relles, Jr., a businessman. Other candidates were Deputy Attorney General Mark Soble and Lorenzo Patino Law School President Leonard Padilla. Fargo won overwhelmingly in the primary election; thus no runoff was necessary.
[edit] 2008 Mayoral Campaign
The primary election for Mayor took place on 3 June 2008. Fargo received 40% of the vote, while former NBA star and Sacramento native Kevin Johnson received 47% of the vote. Since neither received a majority of the votes a run off election is scheduled for November.[1]
[edit] Causes
[edit] Environment
Heather Fargo was a founding member and the first secretary of the Sacramento Tree Foundation, which is considered an important voice in Sacramento’s environmental community.
[edit] Illegal Guns
During her tenure Mayor Fargo became a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition,[2] an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino.
[edit] Mayoral tenure
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Mayor Fargo made several attempts to provide taxpayer financing of a new stadium for the Kings NBA basketball franchise. However, these attempts were unsuccessful.
Mayor Fargo's tenure also saw the passing of a resolution for immediate unilateral withdrawal from the war in Iraq, and a resolution condemning the Patriot Act.
In 2006 and 2007, Mayor Fargo was named "Best Local Elected Official" by the readers of Sacramento Magazine in their annual poll. [3]
[edit] Health
On February 13, 2007, Mayor Fargo announced at a City Council meeting that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis ten years earlier. Her conditioned had worsened during the summer of 2006 from the relapsing-remitting stage to the secondary-progressive stage. Her political plans remain unchanged, with intentions to finish out her current term and a run for a third term in 2008. Recently, Sacramento Magazine discussed how Mayor Fargo's health will affect the Mayor's race in 2008.
Fargo also was severely criticized by government watchdogs for her overseas travel, reported in the Sacramento Bee. Fargo spent thousands of taxpayer dollars for junkets on climate change, but the Bee she had done little as a result of her travels.
[edit] Electoral history
[edit] 2000 Primary Election for Mayor of Sacramento
| Name | Percentage of the Vote |
|---|---|
| Heather Fargo | 21.76% |
| Rob Kerth | 20.19% |
| Robbie Waters | 18.23% |
| Joe Genshlea | 14.68% |
| Julie Padilla | 11.68% |
| Steve Cohn | 9.08% |
[edit] 2000 General Election for Mayor of Sacramento
| Name | Percentage of the Vote |
|---|---|
| Heather Fargo | 54.07% |
| Rob Kerth | 45.93% |
[edit] 2004 Primary Election for Mayor of Sacramento
| Name | Percentage of the Vote |
|---|---|
| Heather Fargo | 59.77% |
| Ross W. Relles, Jr. | 20.91% |
| Mark Soble | 11.54% |
| Leonard Padilla | 7.78% |
Because Fargo received a majority of the votes in the primary election, no general election was necessary.
[edit] 2008 Primary Election for Mayor of Sacramento
| Name | Percentage of the Vote |
|---|---|
| Kevin Johnson | 46.58% |
| Heather Fargo | 39.65% |
| Leonard Padilla | 5.83% |
| Shawn D. Eldredge | 3.44% |
| Muriel Strand | 2.79% |
Johnson and Fargo will proceed to a runoff election in November.
[edit] References
- ^ Mary Lynne Vellinga. "Johnson leads mayor's race", Sacramento Bee, 2008-06-04. Retrieved on 2008-06-04.
- ^ Mayors Against Illegal Guns: Coalition Members.
- ^ Best of Sacramento - Sacramento, California
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| Preceded by Jimmie R. Yee |
Mayor of Sacramento, California 2001 – present |
Incumbent |
