Shaunna O'Connell
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Shaunna O'Connell is an American politician from
Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in and the county seat of Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River, which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, to the south. As of the 2020 United States ...
. A Republican, 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 (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...
, 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 Subsidized housing is a subsidy aimed towards alleviating housing costs and expenses for impoverished people with low to moderate incomes. In the United States, subsidized housing is often called "affordable housing". Forms of subsidies include d ...
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 Route 140 and Route 138 in Taunton, Massachusetts, USA. The facility serves the Greater Taunton Area and is equipped with its own heliport for medical emergency flights ...
, 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, Ashla ...
(
Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson College, and a campus of M ...
) 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 was 105,643 at the 2020 United States census. Along with Plymouth, Massachusetts, Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of Plymouth County, Massachusetts, ...
).


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 who served as the 72nd lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 2015 to 2023. Polito was a Republican member of the Massachusetts House of Repres ...
had given O'Connell notice that incumbent Taunton Mayor Thomas Hoye would not run for re-election.


Personal life

O'Connell and her husband, Ted, have two daughters. In June 2023, their younger daughter went missing from an addiction and mental health treatment center in
Hilliard, Ohio Hilliard is a city in Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 37,114 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of Columbus and part of Norwich Township. History In 1852, John Reed Hilliard bought of farmland in western Franklin Cou ...
. She was found in
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...
four days later. On July 22, 2024, O'Connell was arraigned on charges of assault and battery on a household member and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after she allegedly bit and struck her husband with a crowbar during an argument at their home on July 19. Her attorney entered a plea of not guilty on her behalf and she was released on personal recognizance.


Electoral history


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnell, Shaunna 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 women politicians Mayors of Taunton, Massachusetts Women mayors of places in Massachusetts 21st-century members of the Massachusetts General Court