Shaunna O'Connell is an American politician from

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, to the south. At the 2020 cen ...

. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

, she currently serves as the 51st Mayor of Taunton, having served in office since January 2020. O’Connell was previously a member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

, serving in that office from 2011 until 2020 and representing the Third Bristol District.

Early life and education

O'Connell grew up in Taunton to divorced parents who ended up on housing assistance to meet family expenses. She worked her way through college by working two jobs. She worked in the food service department of the

Morton Hospital and Medical Center Morton Hospital is a medical complex located on 88 Washington Street near Massachusetts Route 140, Route 140 and Massachusetts Route 138, Route 138 in Taunton, Massachusetts, Taunton, Massachusetts, United States, USA. The facility serves the Grea ...

, working her way up to a supervisory position. O'Connell attended the

Massachusetts Bay Community College Massachusetts Bay Community College (MassBay) is a public community college in Norfolk and Middlesex Counties. Founded in 1961, MassBay currently serves more than 4,400 full-time and part-time students on its three locations: Wellesley, Ashlan ...

(

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson College, and a campus of Massachusetts Bay Communit ...

) and

Massasoit Community College Massasoit Community College is a public community college in Brockton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1966 and named for Massasoit, the Great Sachem of the Wampanoag. Massasoit Community College is accredited by the New England Commission of H ...

(

Brockton, Massachusetts Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population is 105,643 as of the 2020 United States Census. Along with Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of Plymouth County. It is the sixth-largest city in Mas ...

Political career

O'Connell launched her first State Representative campaign against incumbent Democratic State Representative James Fagan in June 2009, citing comments Fagan made in 2008 during a debate on a child sexual assault bill as her inspiration to run. She defeated Fagan in the 2010 General Election by 44 votes on election day, prompting a recount. She held on in the recount, with her margin of victory narrowing by only 13 votes and winning by 31 votes. O'Connell won re-election in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018, facing a Democratic opponent in each election. In 2019, O'Connell ran for Mayor of Taunton and won, becoming the 50th Mayor and first female Mayor in Taunton's history. She faced controversy at the start of her mayoral campaign, with ''CommonWealth'' Magazine reporting that Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor

Karyn Polito Karyn Ellen Polito (born November 11, 1966) is an American attorney, businesswoman, and politician serving as the 72nd lieutenant governor of Massachusetts. Polito was a Republican member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 11th ...

had given O'Connell notice that incumbent Taunton Mayor Thomas Hoye would not run for re-election.

References

1970 births Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Politicians from Taunton, Massachusetts Women state legislators in Massachusetts Living people 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Mayors of Taunton, Massachusetts Women mayors of places in Massachusetts {{Massachusetts-MARepresentative-stub