Jackie Biskupski

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Jackie Biskupski
35th Mayor of Salt Lake City
Assumed office
January 4, 2016
Preceded by Ralph Becker
Member of the Utah House of Representatives
from the 30th district
In office
January 1999 – June 2011
Preceded by Gene Davis
Succeeded by Brian Doughty
Personal details
Born (1966-01-11) January 11, 1966 (age 58)[1]
Hastings, Minnesota
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Betty Iverson (Fiance)
Children Archie
Residence Salt Lake City, Utah
Alma mater Arizona State University
Occupation Insurance Industry
Private Investigator
Activist
Politician
Religion Roman Catholic

Jackie Biskupski (born January 11, 1966) is an American Democratic politician, and the Mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah. Upon taking office, Biskupski will be Salt Lake City's 35th mayor, first openly gay mayor, and second female mayor (after Deedee Corradini). She is a former member of the Utah House of Representatives, representing the 30th District in Salt Lake County from 1999 to 2011.

Early life

One of four siblings raised in Hastings, Minnesota, Biskupski, of Polish-American descent, says that her Catholic parents, Marvin and Arlene Biskupski, named her after former First Lady Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis. While learning about the civil rights movement in history class at St. Boniface School, she says she was immediately attracted to the idea of working one day to champion the rights of women and minorities.

Later in life her collegiate activities would earn her a B.Sc. in criminal justice from Arizona State University. Biskupski decided to stay in Utah shortly after visiting for a ski trip.

Biskupski is a single mother with an adopted son named Archie and has been openly gay since 1989. She lives in Sugar House and is planning a wedding to Betty Iverson, who also has a son (named Jack).

Career

She went to work in the auto-insurance industry, then became a private investigator. Biskupski decided to get involved in politics after a 1995 controversy erupted at East High School (Salt Lake City), when the Board of the Salt Lake City School District and the Utah State Legislature tried to eliminate a gay/straight student alliance club.[2]

When elected in 1998 to the Utah House of Representatives she became Utah’s first openly-gay person elected,[3] to a state office. She was re-elected 6 times after that, serving in the legislature for 13 years, before retiring in 2011. She then went to work as an administrator for the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office on January 31, 2015.[4]

Biskupski was elected to the office of Salt Lake City Mayor on November 17, 2015, defeating two-term incumbent Ralph Becker with 51.55% of the vote.[5] During her transition she called for the resignation of most City department heads,[6] drawing criticism from former Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and others.[7][8]

References

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External links

Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Salt Lake City
2016–present		 Incumbent
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