Tom Henry
Tom Henry | |
---|---|
35th Mayor of Fort Wayne | |
In office January 1, 2008 – March 28, 2024 | |
Preceded by | Graham Richard |
Succeeded by | Karl Bandemer (acting) |
Personal details | |
Born | Thomas Christopher Henry November 8, 1951 Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. |
Died | March 28, 2024 Fort Wayne, Indiana, U.S. | (aged 72)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Cindy Kocks
(m. 1975; died 2024) |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | University of Saint Francis (BA, MBA) |
Website | Government website Campaign website |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 1971–1973 |
Unit | Military Police Corps |
Thomas Christopher Henry
Early life
Tom Henry was the second of 17 children born to Jerome and Marganelle "Marge" Henry.
City Council
Henry represented the Third District for five terms on the Fort Wayne City Council between 1984 and 2004.[3][4] Before being elected, he was preceded by Republican Roy Schomburg.[5] Henry won re-election in 1995 by only five votes after the outcome was determined by a recount.[6] He lost a bid for a sixth term in 2003.[6]
Mayoralty
In 2007, Henry ran for the Democratic mayoral primary, winning it on May 8, 2007, with 82.4% of the vote against token opposition.
During his mayoralty in 2008, on December 15, Henry signed the revised noise ordinance passed by city council, making light pollution a violation of city ordinance. "Although I have concerns about this ordinance, it is up to council to decide what legislative action is appropriate for our community," Henry said in a written statement.[10]
Henry was reelected on
Henry defeated Republican challenger
On November 5, 2019, Tom Henry won
Despite initially claiming that his fourth term would be his last, Henry launched his fourth reelection campaign on June 22, 2022, running against long-term Republican city council member Tom Didier.
Personal life
Prior to his mayorship, Henry served as president and CEO of the Gallant Group, an insurance agency specializing in healthcare consulting.[1]
Henry married Cindy Kocks in 1975.
Legal issues
Henry was involved in a motor vehicle accident on October 8, 2022, in which he was attempting to exit a roundabout too quickly and sideswiped another motorist.[21] At the time of the accident, he was driving a city-owned car.[22] He was arrested the next day for having operated a vehicle while intoxicated, and pleaded guilty, resulting in him having his license suspended for 90 days and not being allowed to drink or own alcohol for a year.[21] Henry had a blood alcohol content of 0.152% at the time of the investigation, resulting in a second charge of BAC over .15% which was dropped in the plea deal.[23][24]
Death
During a February 26, 2024 press conference, Henry announced that he had been diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer and that the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes and other organs in his body, meaning that his prognosis was not good.[25] Despite the terminal cancer, he stated that he was planning to continue his duties as mayor. He died four weeks later, on March 28, at the age of 72.[26]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Mayor Tom Henry Archived November 12, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (biography), The Waynedale News, September 1, 2009
- ^ a b Brantley, Terra; Byus, Briana (March 29, 2024). ""It's been a great run," Remembering the life and legacy of Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry". WFFT-TV. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Sandleben, Tony; Green, Rebecca (March 28, 2024). "Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry has died". WFYI. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- FOX59. Archivedfrom the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Dahlen, Ethan (November 6, 2023). "Didier and Henry: A mayoral bout a lifetime in the making". WANE-TV. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ "Election Summary Report – 2007 Municipal Primary Election" (PDF). Allen County, Indiana. May 21, 2007. Archived from the original (web.archive.org) on May 14, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, May 9, 2007.
- ^ "Election Summary Report – 2007 Municipal Election" (PDF). Allen County, Indiana. November 6, 2007. Archived from the original (web.archive.org) on May 14, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
- ^ "Mayor signs revision to noise ordinance". City of Fort Wayne. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Four More Years" Henry Wins Re-Election Bid in Mayor's Race Archived June 29, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, Indiana's NewsCenter, November 9, 2012.
- ^ Dave, Gong (November 4, 2015). "Henry wins 3rd straight term". The Journal Gazette. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
- ^ Bernard, Zach (November 3, 2015). "Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry Wins Third Term". WBOI. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
- ^ Sloboda, Ashley (August 29, 2018). "Executive joins race for GOP mayoral bid". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 2, 2024. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Gong, Dave (November 6, 2019). "Henry elected to 4th term". The Journal Gazette. Archived from the original on November 7, 2019. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
- ^ "Tom Henry wins 4th term as Fort Wayne mayor". WANE-TV. November 5, 2019. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
- ^ "Henry: a fourth term as Mayor would be his last". WOWO. October 10, 2019. Archived from the original on May 29, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
- ^ Shelley, Jonathan (June 22, 2022). "Henry sets course for political future, announces re-election bid". WPTA. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ "Northeast Indiana's 2023 municipal election results-Tom Henry wins 5th term as Fort Wayne mayor". WBOI. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Miles, Emilia; Williams, Taylor (January 21, 2024). "Cindy Henry, wife of Fort Wayne mayor passes". WPTA. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
- ^ a b Frey, Drew (October 10, 2022). "Details released on Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry's OWI charge, crash". FOX 55 Fort Wayne. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ "Crash report reveals new details in Mayor Henry crash". WANE 15. October 10, 2022. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- ^ Frey, Drew (October 10, 2022). "Details released on Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry's OWI charge, crash". WFFT-TV. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ "Fort Wayne mayor gets suspended sentence for drunken driving". Associated Press. November 4, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry announces stomach cancer diagnosis, archived from the original on February 27, 2024, retrieved February 27, 2024
- ^ "Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry passes away following battle with cancer". 21 Alive News. March 29, 2024. Archived from the original on March 29, 2024. Retrieved March 29, 2024.