Shirlee Zane

Shirlee Zane
Member of the
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors
from District 3
In office
January 6, 2009 – January 5, 2021
Preceded byTim Smith
Succeeded byChris Coursey
Chair Pro Tem of the
Sonoma County
In office
January 6, 2020 – January 5, 2021
Preceded byLynda Hopkins
Succeeded byChris Coursey
Personal details
Born1959 (age 64–65)[1]
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Santa Rosa, California, U.S.
Alma materChico State University (BA)
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (MA)
Sonoma State University (MA)
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionNonprofit executive, family therapist
WebsiteBoard of Supervisors
District 3 website

Shirlee Zane is an American politician. She serves as a member of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors representing Supervisorial District 3, which includes part of the cities of Santa Rosa and Rohnert Park.[2]

Early life and education

Zane was raised in Southern California.[1] She received her Bachelor of Arts in speech pathology from Chico State University in 1982, a Master of Arts in family counseling from Sonoma State University, and a Master of Arts in divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.[1]

Career

Before election to the Board of Supervisors, Zane worked as a family therapist, minister, hospital chaplain, special education professional, and social worker.[3] Zane worked in Caracas, Venezuela, and inner city settings of Humboldt Park, Chicago and South Los Angeles, before moving to Sonoma County in 1990.[1]

She was appointed Executive Director of Hospital Chaplaincy Services in 1994,[1][4] and later served as CEO of the Council on Aging for ten years.[5]

Zane was first elected to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors in the November 2008 election, defeating former Santa Rosa city councilwoman Sharon Wright with 55% of the vote.[6] She was sworn in on January 6, 2009.[7]

She defeated former Rohnert Park city councilman Tim Smith in June 2012 for election to a second term, with 63.2% of the vote.[8]

Zane's reelection to a third term in 2016, along with the reelection of Susan Gorin and election of Lynda Hopkins, created a female majority on the board for the first time.[9]

She lost reelection to former Santa Rosa mayor Chris Coursey on March 3, 2020, with 46% of the vote.[10][11] Coursey's win marked the first successful challenge to an incumbent of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors since 1984.[12]

Personal life

Zane married Greg Herrick, a descendant of Mexican land grantees Henry D. Fitch and María Ygnacia López de Carrillo, in 1982.[1][13] She gave birth to a son in 1988, who she raised as a single mother.[1][5]

Her second husband, Peter Kingston, committed suicide in 2011. She spoke out about social stigma after his death, saying "we can not prevent suicide if we don’t talk about it."[14]

Zane dated the widower Coursey, her 2020 election opponent, from 2011 to 2014.[4]

Following the death of Zane's mother in 2014, she adopted Lucy, a therapy horse.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Chris Coursey (January 14, 1996). "A MINISTRY OF THE HEART COMPASSION DRIVES CHIEF OF CHAPLAINCY". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  2. ^ "District 3 | Board of Supervisors". sonomacounty.ca.gov.
  3. ^ "Shirlee Zane | Sonoma County Transportation Authority". scta.ca.gov. Archived from the original on December 13, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Tyler Silvy (January 23, 2020). "Sonoma County supervisor candidates Shirlee Zane, Chris Coursey trade jabs during debate". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Shirlee Zane (December 27, 2008). "ZANE: A decade spent caring for seniors". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  6. ^ B.W. Rose (November 5, 2008). "Zane, Brown elected to supervisor posts". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  7. ^ Bleys W. Rose (January 7, 2009). "Carrillo, Zane join Sonoma County board, sworn in along with incumbent Brown". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Kevin McCallum (June 5, 2012). "Zane cruises to 2nd term as Sonoma County supervisor". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  9. ^ J.D. Morris (January 10, 2017). "Sonoma County Board of Supervisors swears in its first female majority". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  10. ^ a b Mary Callahan (March 4, 2020). "Susan Gorin, Lynda Hopkins reelected to Sononoma [sic] County Board of Supervisors". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  11. ^ Bay City News Service (March 4, 2020). "Gorin And Hopkins Re-Elected, Zane Falls Short Of 4th Term". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  12. ^ Tyler Silvy (February 8, 2020). "Shirlee Zane and Chris Coursey square off in heated race for Sonoma County supervisor seat". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  13. ^ Shirlee Zane (May 17, 1996). "WARDINE HERRICK". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  14. ^ Mary Callahan (September 10, 2012). "Zane talks about husband's suicide". The Press Democrat. Retrieved July 3, 2020.