Fort Wayne swears in new mayor after predecessor’s death
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WISH) — For the first time, Fort Wayne has a Black mayor at the helm, and, for just the second time, that city government’s leader is a woman.
Sharon Tucker was sworn in Tuesday as the mayor of the city in northeastern Indiana after the death of its longtime mayor.
Tucker took the oath of office Tuesday morning.
Tom Henry, a Democrat, announced in February that he had been diagnoses with stomach cancer. He began chemotherapy but died March 28 at age 72 after a medical emergency. Henry had been elected in November to his fifth four-year term as mayor.
Tucker won a Democratic Party caucus on Saturday to serve the rest of Henry’s term, through Dec. 31, 2027.
Tucker is no stranger to history. She was elected to serve on the Fort Wayne City Council as the 6th District representative, a position she’d held four years before becoming mayor.
“Y’all, they’re getting ready to put me to work already. I get to do my first job,” Tucker said before swearing in, according to The Associated Press.
