Jerome A. Prince (born August 16, 1964) is an American politician who served as the 21st mayor of Gary, Indiana. A member of the Democratic Party, he assumed office on January 1, 2020, succeeding Karen Freeman-Wilson, and served until December 31, 2023, after being defeated in the Democratic primary for mayor by State Senator Eddie Melton.[1]
Jerome A. Prince | |
|---|---|
 Prince in 2021 | |
| 21st Mayor of Gary, Indiana | |
| In office January 1, 2020 – December 31, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Karen Freeman-Wilson |
| Succeeded by | Eddie Melton |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 16, 1964 Gary, Indiana |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1982–1986 |
Early life
editPrince was born and raised in Gary, Indiana. He graduated from Lew Wallace High School.[2]
Career
editIn 1982, Prince enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. In 1986, he returned to Gary and began working in real estate, insurance and retail sales. In 1994, he joined the Calumet Township Assessor's office as a real estate deputy. In 1998, he was elected to the Gary Precinct Committee Organization. In 1999, he was elected to the Gary City Council, representing the fifth district. In 2008, Prince was selected to serve as a member of the Lake County Council after an incumbent member resigned.[3] In 2014, he was elected Lake County Assessor, where he served until 2019.
Mayor of Gary
editPrince was elected mayor of Gary in 2019, defeating incumbent mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson.[4][5][6][7] He assumed office on January 1, 2020.[8][9][10] Following the George Floyd protests, Prince pledged to sign an executive order to establish a police reform commission.[11] Prince has advocated for returning manufacturing jobs to Gary. In March 2020, he signed his first executive order, aimed at increasing the hiring of minority, female, and veteran employees by the city government.[12] Prince has also sought to demolish abandoned buildings around Gary as a crime reduction strategy.[13]
On May 2, 2023, State Senator Eddie Melton defeated Prince with almost 59% of the vote to become the Democratic nominee for mayor.[14] Prince conceded and would serve the rest of his term until December 31, 2023.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b Dalton, Alex (May 3, 2023). "Eddie Melton declares victory in Democratic primary for Gary mayor". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Correspondent, Bill Dolan Times. "Jerome Prince unseats Gary mayor". nwitimes.com. Retrieved 2020-08-29.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Mayor, JP4 (2019-02-28). "Bio". Jerome Prince for Mayor. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Jerome Prince Defeats Incumbent to Win Gary, Indiana in Democratic Primary". AP NEWS. 2019-05-13. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
- ^ Lyons, Craig. "Jerome Prince preparing for transition as Democratic Gary mayoral nominee". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ Napoleon, Carrie. "Former official returns for new Gary role". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ "Gary Mayor Defends Record As 8 Rivals Seek To Unseat Her". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ crusaderstaff. "Jerome Prince is sworn in as Gary mayor | The Crusader Newspaper Group". Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ "Gary Mayor Jerome Prince on Pandemic Fallout, Response". WTTW News. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
- ^ Napoleon, Carrie. "New Mayor Jerome Prince promises to bring progress, growth to Gary; calls for citizen responsibility". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
- ^ "Gary to establish a police reform commission". AP NEWS. 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
- ^ "Gary Mayor Jerome Prince signs 1st executive order, boosting minority, women and veteran businesses". indianaeconomicdigest.com. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ Holmes, Evelyn (2020-01-04). "Gary mayor seeks to demolish abandoned schools deemed 'havens for crime'". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
- ^ Gallenberger, Michael (2023-05-03). "Gary mayor unseated in primary". WFYI Public Media. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
External links
edit- Office of the Mayor webpage on the City of Gary's website
- Mayor Jerome A. Prince's page on Facebook