Carolyn Comitta

      Carolyn Comitta
      58th Mayor of West Chester, Pennsylvania
      Incumbent
      Assumed office
      January 4, 2010
      Preceded by Dick Yoder
      Member of the
      West Chester Borough Council
      from the 5th Ward
      In office
      January 2, 2006 – January 4, 2010
      Preceded by Barbara McIlvaine Smith
      Succeeded by Tom Paxson
      Personal details
      Political party Democratic
      Spouse(s) Tom
      Children Two
      Residence West Chester, Pennsylvania
      Alma mater West Chester University, Widener University
      Occupation Politician, Educator, Financial officer
      Website Office of the Mayor

      Carolyn Comitta is an American politician, educator and financial officer. She is a member of the Democratic Party, and is currently serving as the Mayor of West Chester, Pennsylvania.

      Early life and education

      Comitta received her BS in Education from West Chester University (then West Chester State College) in 1974, and her M.Ed. from Widener University in 1989.[1]

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      Professional career

      From the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, Comitta worked in the Octorara Area School District as a special and gifted education curriculum specialist and teacher. Since 1988, she has been a member of the Board of Directors of World Information Transfer, Inc., a non-profit, non-governmental educational organization focused on health- and environment-related issues.[1]

      She currently serves as the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of her husband's firm, Thomas Comitta Associates, Town Planners and Landscape Architects.[1]

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      Political career

      Comitta was first elected to the West Chester Borough Council in 2005, taking-over the Fifth Ward seat vacated by incumbent Democratic Councilwoman Barbara McIlvaine Smith. While on Council, she served as chair of the Borough Council's Public Safety Committee, and also chaired the Planning Zoning, Business & Industrial Development Committee. She also served as a member of the Parks, Recreation and Environmental Protection Committee, as well as the Finance Committee.[1]

      She sought the office of Borough Mayor in 2009, and defeated Councilman Bill Scott in the Democratic primary. She was elected unopposed in the fall general election, and took office the following January. In succeeding the term-limited incumbent Mayor, Republican Dick Yoder,[2] Comitta became West Chester's first ever female Mayor, and its first Democratic Mayor since 1992.[3]

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      Personal life

      Comitta and her husband, Tom, have two grown children.[1]

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      References

      1. ^ a b c d e "Government Information: Mayor". Official Biography of the Mayor. The Borough of West Chester. Retrieved July 11, 2012. 
      2. ^ Kristie, Dan (11 January 2010). "For Yoder, being mayor was 'a thrill'". The Daily Local News. Retrieved July 11, 2012. 
      3. ^ Showalter, Connor (January 5, 2010). "Comitta becomes borough's 1st female mayor". The Daily Local News. Retrieved July 11, 2012. 
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      External links

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      Last modified on 17 April 2013, at 14:07