Tucker sworn in as Fort Wayne’s new mayor
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Sharon Tucker was sworn in Tuesday as the 37th mayor of the city of Fort Wayne. Tucker was selected by a caucus held by the Allen County Democratic Party on Saturday to fill the vacancy left by former Mayor Tom Henry, who passed away last month.
After being sworn in, Tucker took time to thank Henry for his contributions to the city.
“Tom Henry has left our city in a great position,” she said. “We are fiscally sound. We have wonderful projects that are in motion and great projects that have been completed. I will not pretend that I could ever fit his shoes, but I will absolutely take the path that he’s laid out and make my own little footprints in the sand.”
Tucker is the first Black woman to serve as mayor of Fort Wayne. She had served on the Fort Wayne City Council since 2014. She also previously held leadership positions with the Allen County Democratic Party.
The family of Tom Henry issued the following statement Tuesday:
“The Henry family offers our warmest congratulations to Mayor Sharon Tucker as today she was sworn in as Mayor of our beloved City. As a friend of our family for many years, we have the upmost faith and confidence in Sharon’s leadership and commit to supporting her administration in the years ahead. We also know of her unyielding support of our late Mayor, Tom Henry, and look forward to watching as she grows Tom’s initiatives while forging her own path for Fort Wayne. We know that Tom and Cindy join us in cheering for you, Mayor Tucker, as we keep moving Fort Wayne forward, together.”
At the ceremony on Tuesday, Karl Bandemer, who was named acting mayor immediately following Henry’s passing, was sworn in as deputy mayor. Gary Moor, who was named deputy mayor for Bandemer, was sworn in again as city controller.
You can watch the full swearing in ceremony below: