James L. "Hutch" Hutchison Sr. (born June 20, 1942) is an American

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

. Hutchison served as the first full-time

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

of Dover, Delaware from 1994 to 2004. Hutchison is a member of the Republican Party. However, Dover's mayoral office is officially nonpartisan. Hutchison, a native of Dover, graduated from Dover High School in 1961. He received an

associate's degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of Tertiary education, post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelo ...

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

from

Delaware Technical & Community College Delaware Technical Community College (previously Delaware Technical & Community College, also known as DTCC, Delaware Tech, or Del Tech) is a public community college in the U.S. state of Delaware. Delaware Tech is an open admission institution ...

in 1987. Hutchison served as the

police chief The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and ...

of Dover prior to entering politics. He held Dover's at-large

city council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

seat from 1993 to 1994. In 1994, Hutchison was elected Dover's first full-time mayor. He retired from office in 2004. In 2008, Hutchinson ran for the

Delaware Senate The Delaware Senate is the upper house of the Delaware General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is composed of 21 Senators, each of whom is elected to a four-year term, except when reapportionment occurs, at wh ...

in the 17th District, but lost the election to

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Brian Bushweller Brian J. Bushweller is an American politician. He was a Democratic member of the Delaware Senate from 2008 to 2018, representing the 17th district. Bushweller was raised in New York. He received an A.A. in liberal arts from Ulster County Comm ...

. In January 2011, Hutchison announced his candidacy for an open seat in the Dover City Council, which was being vacated by retiring City Council President Ken Hogan. Hutchison won the City Council District 1 seat in the municipal election held on April 19, 2011, defeating Holly Malone. In August 2011, Hutchison proposed lengthening the terms for the mayor and city council members from the current two-year term to four-years in office. Hutchison argued that the current election system, in which Dover's candidates must seek re-election every two years, is too expensive, costing the city approximately $10,000 per election. He told council that his proposal would save the city money and promote increased leadership among Dover's elected officials. Under his proposal, if enacted, the new four-year terms would be gradually phased in over a two-year period.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutchison, James Mayors of Dover, Delaware American municipal police chiefs Delaware city council members Delaware Republicans Living people 1942 births