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Victoria Jackson-Stanley
Victoria Jackson-Stanley (born August 20, 1953) is an American politician who previously served as mayor of the city of Cambridge, Maryland. She was the first African-American and the first female mayor[1] of Cambridge, Maryland.[2][clarification needed] BackgroundJackson-Stanley was born in and grew up in Cambridge, where blacks attended segregated schools. The town had a history of racial unrest, with race riots making headlines in the 1960s.[3] By the 1970s, the town integrated and she was among the first black students to attend the previously all-white Cambridge High School.[4] ElectionOn June 10, 2008, in a non-partisan primary election Jackson-Stanley and incumbent Mayor Cleveland Rippons won the right to face each other in the July general election. Rippons received 696 votes, Jackson-Stanley 674 votes and Octavene Saunders finished third with 128 votes.[6] Under Cambridge local election laws, only the top two vote-getters qualify for a run-off general election. Rippons, an eight-year incumbent, was criticized during the campaign for his support of the expansion of development in and around Cambridge.[5] On July 8, 2008 voters chose Jackson-Stanley over Rippons by a 1,383 to 1,231 margin.[7] Although Cambridge is composed equally of black and white residents, neither candidate felt that the other brought up race as an issue.[4] Residents agreed that economic growth and other concerns were more important than gender or race.[8] Jackson-Stanley was sworn in on July 21, 2008.[9] She won a second term in July 2012.[10] Jackson-Stanley served a third term from 2016 to 2020. She was defeated in a runoff election by a 57% to 43% margin in 2020 by local businessman and volunteer firefighter Andrew Bradshaw. In June 2024, Jackson-Stanley was appointed by Governor Wes Moore to the Maryland State Board of Elections's board of directors to succeed Janet Millenson, who died in April 2024.[11] References
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