Mary Rasmussen () is a British Labour Party politician who has served as the

Lord Mayor of Liverpool The office of Lord Mayor of Liverpool has existed in one form or another since the foundation of Liverpool as a borough by the Royal Charter of King John in 1207, simply being referred to as the Mayor of Liverpool. The position is now a most ...

since May 2021 and as a

Liverpool City Council Liverpool City Council is the governing body for the city of Liverpool in Merseyside, England. It consists of 90 councillors, three for each of the city's 30 wards. The council is currently controlled by the Labour Party and is led by Mayor ...

lor for Speke-Garston ward since May 2007.

Early life and education

Rasmussen was born in

Garston, Liverpool Garston is a district of Liverpool. Historically in Lancashire, it is bordered by the suburbs of Grassendale, Allerton, and Speke. It lies on the Eastern banks of the River Mersey. History In medieval times, Garston was home to a group of ...

to Irish parents - Thomas and Theresa Gibbons - as the third of ten children. She attended St. Francis of Assisi Primary School and later Blessed John Almond School. She completed a university course before opting to work with people who were long-term unemployed.

Career

For a period, Rasmussen worked with long-term unemployed people. She has worked as a Partnership Manager for

Reed Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * ...

, a UK-based employment agency, since August 2014. She is a board member of several groups, including South Liverpool Homes, Speke Community Pensioners Group and Speke Adventure Playground.

Liverpool City Council

Rasmussen was elected as a

lor in May 2007, succeeding Councillor Doreen Knight of the Labour Party. She defeated Paula Keaveney of the Liberal Democrats and received 57.1% of the vote. She has since been re-elected three times, most recently in 2019 with 79.8% of the vote. She has served as Chair of

's Labour Group and as the group's Chief Whip, the first woman to hold the position. Rasmussen was sworn in as

on 28 May 2021 at Liverpool Tennis Centre owing to COVID-19 social distancing requirements. She chose her son, Michael, to serve as Consort and her daughter, Janine, to serve as Lady Mayoress. As Lord Mayor, she opted to sponsor The Whitechapel Centre, Tom Harrison House and Speke Training and Education Centre.

Personal life

Rasmussen has two children: Michael, a maths teacher, and Janine. Her daughter Lian passed away in 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasmussen, Mary Living people Labour Party (UK) councillors People from Garston British people of Irish descent Mayors of Liverpool Year of birth missing (living people) Women councillors in England Women mayors of places in England