Sharon Tucker Wins!
By Tabitha Ervin
FWIS Editorial Director
Caring, passionate, kind and determined are all words that describe now Mayor Sharon Tucker.
I have personally engaged with her over the last several years as the Executive Director at Vincent Village, as a Councilwoman and on a personal level in the community and through our sororities.
As the leader of Vincent Village she has shown her executive leadership in supporting both clients and the staff who serve unhoused families in our community focusing on programs and support that encircle a family to give them a hand up not a hand out as the organization looks to end the generational cycle of homelessness by supporting the whole family. Sharon has led this effort for the last few years after the pandemic took a toll on the organization. I have watched her lead with a kind heart yet a focused passion on driving the organization toward its goals.
In a historic move triggered by the sad and untimely death of Mayor Tom Henry, the Democratic Party found itself having to hold a caucus for the less than 100 precinct chairs voting to make the unprecedented decision to choose the person who would finish Mayor Henry’s 5th term.
Following an impassioned speech delivered confidently by Sharon, the chairs selected Tucker as our next mayor.
Sharon Tucker, a Democrat, will also become the second woman to serve as mayor of the city. She was elected in the second round of voting during the Democratic caucus when she met the requirement of 50% of the votes plus one. Tucker mentioned her own excitement but also encouraged the party to continue to work together as they look forward to the next mayoral vote in 2027, something also mentioned by a few of the other candidates.
As far as her public service, she served as the Allen County Democratic Party's treasurer for five years and was named Vice Chair in 2016. Sharon was elected as 1st District Councilwoman on the Allen County Council in 2014 and was re-elected to a second term in 2018. While on County Council, she was the only female, African American, and Democrat serving at the time. Sharon then ran for the 6th District City Council seat in 2019 again as the first African American woman to hold this seat.
Sharon is a graduate of Indiana Tech, she holds two Bachelors of Science degrees in Management and Human Resources.
Her community engagement is extensive. She’s a proud member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, AVOW (Advancing Voices of Women) and the NAACP. Sharon also volunteers on the Board of Directors for the Allen County Public Library, Alliance Health Clinic, and SEED.
In 2021 Tucker founded and launched Project Activate SouthEast Fort Wayne (P.A.S.E.). P.A.S.E. is an entrepreneurial training and pitch competition designed to help entrepreneurs start their businesses and spur economic development in the southeast portion of her city.
Congrats to Mayor Sharon Tucker!
