Sam Cunningham (mayor)
Sam Cunningham is an American politician who was elected as the first African-American mayor of Waukegan, Illinois, the largest city in and the county seat of Lake County, Illinois.
Sam Cunningham | |
|---|---|
| 40th Mayor of Waukegan[1] | |
| Assumed office May 1, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Wayne Motley |
| Waukegan City Council | |
| In office 1999–2017 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Waukegan, Illinois |
| Education | B.S. Central State University |
Biography
Cunningham was born and raised in Waukegan.[2][3] He is a graduate of Waukegan East High School and Central State University where he earned a B.S. in Business Administration and Marketing.[2] After college, he worked as an insurance agent.[2] In 1975, he joined the Waukegan Police Department as an officer.[4] In 1999, he was elected as alderman for the 1st Ward in Waukegan.[3] In 2017, he defeated independent Lisa May,[4] who would have been the city's first female mayor.[3] He is the first African-American to serve as mayor in Waukegan, a city that is 55% Hispanic.[3]
In 2020, he was successfully able to keep the peace after the shooting death of Marcellis Stinnette by a Hispanic officer with the Waukegan Police Department.[5]
Personal life
Cunningham has two daughters, Syerra and Samantha.[2] Cunningham is a 2017 Jim Edgar Fellow, the U.S. Minority Contractors Association 2017 Municipal Administrator of the Year, and the recipient of the Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce Parren J. Mitchell Outstanding Service Award.[2] He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.[2]
References
- "Past Mayors of Waukegan". Waukegan City Website. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
- "Mayor Cunningham". City of Waukegan website. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- Schulte, Sarah (April 3, 2017). "Waukegan voters elect new mayor on Tuesday". WLS-TV.
- Coleman, Emily K. (May 2, 2017). "Waukegan's first black mayor takes oath of office". Chicago Tribune.
- Hutchinson, Bill (October 22, 2020). "'Yes, I'm nervous': Mayor urges calm as outrage grows over police shooting of unarmed Black couple in Illinois". ABC News.