James A. Garner is a U.S. politician from the Republican party who was

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 a ...

of the Village of Hempstead, New York, from 1988 to 2005, and was the first

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

to be elected a mayor on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. During his tenure as mayor, Garner took a lead role in revitalization, redevelopment, and housing issues facing Hempstead, and was a panelist on the 2002 White House Conference on Minority Homeownership, among other roles. In 2003 the United States Conference of Mayors elected Garner its 61st president, a position he held for one year. In 2004, Garner was nominated by the Republican Party to challenge

Representative Representative may refer to: Politics *Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people *House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities *Legislator, someon ...

Carolyn McCarthy Carolyn McCarthy ( Cook; born January 5, 1944) is an American politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 1997 to 2015. She is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Par ...

in New York's 4th congressional district. The race was widely expected to be a close one, but McCarthy won with 63% of the vote. Democratic Presidential candidate

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

carried 55% of the district's vote in that same election. Six months later in March, 2005, Garner was defeated by

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 ...

Wayne Hall in his reelection bid for Mayor of Hempstead. This was also evident in the 2009 race for mayor when Hall defeated Garner with 48 percent of the total vote. Prior to becoming Hempstead mayor, Garner served one term on the Hempstead Village Board of Trustees. He is a Vietnam-era veteran and holds a B.S. from

Adelphi University Adelphi University is a private university in Garden City, New York. Adelphi also has centers in Manhattan, Hudson Valley, and Suffolk County. There is also a virtual, online campus for remote students. It is the oldest institution of higher ed ...

, and founded a pest-control company that is today owned and operated by his family. His membership in community groups includes the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

and the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

. Garner also served as the appointed Deputy Nassau County Comptroller for Claims, Payroll & Health Benefits under Comptroller

George Maragos George Maragos (born March 17, 1949) was the 13th Comptroller of Nassau County, New York, USA. He was first elected in 2009 for a four-year term and was re-elected in 2013 for a second four-year term. Education Maragos received an M.B.A in finan ...

Military service

Garner is a veteran of the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

where he served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

References

External links

Village of Hempstead-James Garner bio

2004 election results, from CBS
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Garner, James African-American mayors in New York (state) International Republican Institute People from Hempstead (village), New York Politicians from Nassau County, New York Adelphi University alumni Mayors of places in New York (state) New York (state) Republicans Living people Presidents of the United States Conference of Mayors Year of birth missing (living people)