Connie Moran

Connie Moran (born May 18, 1956) is the mayor of Ocean Springs, Mississippi. First elected to the position in 2005, Moran is in her third term as mayor of the city. She was reelected in 2009 and 2013, winning 62% of the vote in the latter year.^[1] Moran has served as president of Moran Consultants, a firm providing marketing and development service. She also served for three years as director of Jackson County Economic Development, and for five years before that as managing director of the State of Mississippi European Office in Frankfurt, Germany, where she recruited new business to the state.^[2]

Early life

Moran was born May 18, 1956, and was adopted as a child. Moran is a native of Ocean Springs. Moran's family has been in business in Ocean Springs for over 140 years. Her grandfather was a county supervisor for 40 years, and her father was a city alderman.^[3]

Education

Moran graduated from Georgetown University with bachelor's and master's degrees in finance/economics and international commerce. She graduated cum laude. Moran conducted graduate research at the Institute of World Economics in Germany as a Fulbright Scholar. She was also an economist at the World Trade Organization in Geneva. She is a former fellow of the Robert Bosch Foundation for German American Leadership, where she worked for the German Ministry of France. In 2006, she was selected to be the Bosch Alumnus of the Year for her leadership in Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts.^[3]

Political career

Mayorship

Moran was elected mayor of Ocean Springs in 2005. She was re-elected in 2009 and 2013.

Hurricane Katrina

Mayor Connie Moran talks with First Lady Laura Bush during a tour of Katrina Cottages, the quaint, colorful, and quickly built cottages for post-Katrina living.

Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast six weeks after Moran took office as mayor in 2005. When Katrina destroyed 150 miles of coastline on August 29, 2005, Ocean Spring's waterfront was devastated, but the historic downtown suffered no storm surge, and the damage was limited to roofs, windows and storefronts. Moran drew on her background as an economic development expert to develop a plan to rebuild the city, structurally and economically, while trying to retain the city's historical value and contain urban sprawl while still advocating for growth.^[3]

The mayor first gained national attention when she locked horns with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Moran preferred "Katrina Cottages" to standard-issue mobile homes, which would likely not be used as permanent housing. Moran said she wanted to be sure one of the oldest French colonies in the country (Ocean Springs was founded in 1699) maintained an element of traditionalism even as it recovered from the storm. FEMA allocated almost $400 million to bring in the alternate structures.^[3]

First Lady Laura Bush toured Ocean Springs and the Katrina Cottages with Moran in February 2007.

Treasurer campaign

Moran ran for Mississippi State Treasurer in 2011. She received the Democratic Party nomination, but was defeated by Republican candidate Lynn Fitch in the general election.^[4]

Personal life

Moran has one daughter, Magdeleine, who has cerebral palsy and autism, who she doesn't take care of. Moran is a Catholic; her official biography describes her as a "lifelong member" of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church.^[2] Moran, who was adopted, met her birth mother for the first time in 2005.^[3]

Moran is active in civic and charitable organizations, and serves as a board director for Jackson County United Way, YMCA, and Boys and Girls Clubs. She is a member of Rotary International, the Gulf Coast Business Council, and is on the National Board of Directors for the Congress on New Urbanism. She has also served on the Jackson County Port Authority of Commissioners, the Board of Trustees of the Walter Anderson Museum of Art, and the Governor's Commission on Developmental Disabilities.^[2]

References