Konstantina Bequary "Konnie" Lukes (born October 13, 1941) is an American politician who served fifteen two-year terms as a Councilor-At-Large in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts. She also served as the city's mayor from 2007 to 2009.

Early life

Lukes is the daughter of two

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

immigrants. She was born and raised in Waterbury, Connecticut and worked in her parents' restaurant while attending public school. Lukes worked her way through college and law school, graduating from

Simmons College Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include: * Simmons University, a women's liberal arts college in Boston, Massachusetts * Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically black college in Louisville, Kentucky * Har ...

and the

University of Connecticut School of Law The University of Connecticut School of Law (UConn Law) is the law school associated with the University of Connecticut and located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. In ...

Career

Lukes serves as a public official in Worcester, Massachusetts. She began her public service as the first Chair of the Worcester City Manager's Commission on the Status of Women. She was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis as a Commissioner for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. Lukes ran for office on the Worcester School Committee, eventually serving four terms, while also holding the position of Vice Chairman of the School Committee. She was elected to the Worcester City Council as a Councilor at Large in 1990, and also served as Vice Chairman of the Worcester City Council. Lukes unsuccessfully sought the city's mayoralty in

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

and

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

. Lukes was kicked off of Worcester's Democratic City Committee after she endorsed Republican Paul Cellucci in the

1998 Massachusetts gubernatorial election The 1998 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1998. Acting Governor Paul Cellucci was elected to his first term as Governor of Massachusetts. Republican primary Governor Candidates * Paul Cellucci, acting Governor * Joe M ...

. Lukes was a frequent critic of Tim Murray during his mayoralty. In 2005, after receiving the second most votes for mayor of anyone also elected as an at-large council member, Lukes became vice-chair of the Worcester City Council by the rules of the city charter. In 2007, after Murray stepped-down as mayor, Lukes became mayor due to the city charter stating that the vice chair would become mayor in the instance of a vacancy. In January, 2008, she became the first popularly elected female Mayor in the history of the City of Worcester, having won the 2007 mayoral election. Lukes lost reelection as mayor in the 2009 mayoral election, and her tenure as mayor ended in January 2010. She unsuccessfully sought the mayoralty again in

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, and

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

. In 2019, she announced that she would not seek and additional term on Worcester's city council. Konstantina Lukes is a practicing attorney and maintains a Law Office in Worcester, Massachusetts, specializing in Family law, Divorce, Probate and Real Estate law.

Personal life

Konnie Lukes was married to Dr. James Lukes (born 1935), died on April 26, 2020 and they have one son, Peter, who is currently serving as the Town Manager in Holden, Massachusetts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lukes, Konstantina 1941 births Living people American people of Albanian descent Simmons University alumni University of Connecticut School of Law alumni Women mayors of places in Massachusetts Mayors of Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester, Massachusetts City Council members Massachusetts Democrats 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Members of the Albanian Orthodox Church