William A. Flanagan
William A. Flanagan is American politician and attorney who served as the 42nd Mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, from 2010 to 2014. A member of the Democratic Party, Flanagan served as an intern in the city of Taunton's legal department, later joining the Bristol County District Attorney's office as an Assistant District Attorney. He served as Assistant City Solicitor of Taunton before being elected Mayor of Fall River in 2009, succeeding Robert Correia, who was defeated in a preliminary election.
William A. Flanagan | |
|---|---|
| 42nd Mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts | |
| In office January 4, 2010[1] – December 29, 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Correia |
| Succeeded by | Sam Sutter |
| Personal details | |
| Born | May 11, 1980[2] Fall River, Massachusetts[2] |
| Political party | Democratic[2] |
| Occupation | Attorney[2] Politician |
Early life and law career
Flanagan was born May 11, 1980, in Fall River, Massachusetts. Flanagan graduated from Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School in 1998,[3] the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, and Roger Williams University School of Law. During law school, he interned in Taunton's legal department. He went on to serve as the assistant attorney for Taunton, advising the city's mayor, council, department heads, and police and fire chiefs.
Political career
In 2001, while a student at UMass Dartmouth, Flanagan ran unsuccessfully for the Fall River School Committee, placing tenth in a field of eleven.[4] He made a second unsuccessful run in 2003, placing last in a field of eleven.[5]
In September 2009,[6] Flanagan announced he was running for Mayor of Fall River. As a candidate in the September 15th primary, Flanagan placed second a field of six, including incumbent Mayor Robert Correia and City Councillor Cathy Ann Viveiros.[7] He defeated Viveiros in the November runoff election with more than 60% of the vote.[8] He was reelected in 2011 in a rematch with Viveiros, once again pulling 60% of the vote. In November 2013, Flanagan achieved his largest victory against challenger Joseph Carvalho; winning 68% of the popular vote and taking all 29 of Fall River's precincts.[9]
Flanagan lost his seat in a recall election on December 16, 2014, after 70% of voters chose to recall the Mayor and he placed second to Bristol County District Attorney Samuel Sutter in the eight-way contest that followed and was removed from office. The recall election was the first successful recall election within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Mayor of Fall River
As Mayor, Flanagan finalized the long-awaited agreement with UMass Dartmouth to create a Fall River BioPark, and brought as many as 8,000 jobs to Fall River. He also brought TPI Composites, a green innovation company, back to Fall River and crafted new partnerships with Bristol Community College and University of Massachusetts Dartmouth to expand workforce training programs.
Electoral history
Fall River Mayoral Elections, 2009 | |||
Fall River Mayoral Preliminary Election, Sep. 15, 2009[10] |
Fall River Mayoral Election, Nov. 3, 2009[11] | ||
| Candidate | Votes(%) | Candidate | Votes(%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cathy Ann Viveiros | 3,530(25.61%) | William A. Flanagan | 10,934(60.35%) |
| William A. Flanagan | 3,054(22.16%) | Cathy Ann Viveiros | 7,185(39.65%) |
| Robert Correia (inc.) | 2,783(20.19%) | ||
| Raymond E. Hague | 2,469(17.91%) | ||
| Steven A. Camara | 1,613(11.70%) | ||
| Manuel O. Alves | 168(1.22%) | ||
| Mike Raposa | 167(1.21%) | ||
Fall River Mayoral Elections, 2011 | |||
Fall River Mayoral Preliminary Election, Sep. 13, 2011[12] |
Fall River Mayoral Election, Nov. 8, 2011[13] | ||
| Candidate | Votes(%) | Candidate | Votes(%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| William A. Flanagan (inc.) | 4,691(47.35%) | William A. Flanagan (inc.) | 9,290(54.92%) |
| Cathy Ann Viveiros | 4,171(42.10%) | Cathy Ann Viveiros | 7,625(45.08%) |
| Carolyn Burton | 526(5.31%) | ||
| Stefani Koorey | 252(2.54%) | ||
| James Sullivan | 138(1.39%) | ||
| Richard M. Renzi | 109(1.10%) | ||
| Write-in | 20(0.21%) | ||
References
- "Flanagan has grand plans for 'people's inauguration' - News - the Herald News, Fall River, MA - Fall River, MA". Archived from the original on 2018-04-18. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
- "Will Flanagan: Fall River candidate for mayor - News - The Herald News, Fall River, MA - Fall River, MA". 2017-01-18. Archived from the original on 2017-01-18. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
- "Hall of Fame / Overview". Archived from the original on 2016-08-01.
- DURAND, KATHLEEN. "Roderick, Aguiar elected to School Committee." Herald News, The (Fall River, MA) 7 Nov. 2001, Top Stories. NewsBank. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.
- DURAND, KATHLEEN. "Bronhard wins post." Herald News, The (Fall River, MA) 5 Nov. 2003, Top Stories. NewsBank. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.
- "WHO'S NEXT: William A. Flanagan - News - The Herald News, Fall River, MA - Fall River, MA". 2009-09-08. Archived from the original on 2014-12-18. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
- Grant Welker (2017-01-18). "Fields remain deep after deadline - News - The Herald News, Fall River, MA - Fall River, MA". Archived from the original on 2017-01-18. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
- "Will Flanagan elected Fall River mayor". 4 November 2009. Archived from the original on 31 January 2017. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
- "Fall River Mayor Will Flanagan easily defeats challenger Joseph Carvalho - News - Wicked Local - Boston, MA". Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- "OFFICIAL MAYORAL PRELIMINARY ELECTION TOTALS." Herald News, The (Fall River, MA) 23 Sep. 2009, your_vote. NewsBank. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.
- Richmond, Will. "Certified results are in; Dennis still seeks recount." Herald News, The (Fall River, MA) 9 Nov. 2009, homepage. NewsBank. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.
- Richmond, Will. "Flanagan, Viveiros Advance - '09 Rematch Set In Race For Sixth Floor." Herald News, The (Fall River, MA) 14 Sep. 2011, News: A1. NewsBank. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.
- Richmond, Will. "Certified Results See No Surprises." Herald News, The (Fall River, MA) 16 Nov. 2011, News: B1. NewsBank. Web. 18 Jan. 2017.
External links
- "After a year of simmering, Mayor Flanagan's kale soup is ready - News - the Herald News, Fall River, MA - Fall River, MA". Archived from the original on 2017-01-19. Retrieved 2017-01-18.