Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard

Barbara Bohannan-Sheppard (born June 15, 1950) is an American politician who served as mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania from 1992 to 1995. Bohannan-Sheppard was the first Democrat to be elected mayor of Chester in almost a century and the second female and second African-American mayor of Chester.

Bohannan-Sheppard became mayor when Chester was failing economically, recovering from corruption in city government and experiencing racial strife and a high crime rate.

She moved to Chester, Pennsylvania with her two sons after the marriage ended, in order to attend Widener College with the hope of becoming an attorney. She was forced to drop out because she could not afford the cost of tuition. defeating Willie Mae James Leake on a wave of public anger due to corruption in city government. Bohannan-Sheppard was the first Democrat to be elected mayor of Chester since William H. Berry in 1905. Two other Democrats also won seats on the Chester City Council, giving Democrats control of the city government for the first time in 125 years. Bohannan-Sheppard argued that the addition of a contaminated soil remediation facility along with the Westinghouse trash incinerator, the DELCORA sewage waste treatment center and the Abbonizio Recycling facility resulted in "environmental apartheid" for the residents of majority African-American Chester.

Robert Hill controversy Bohannan-Sheppard created a major controversy by hiring Robert Hill, a convicted murderer and rapist who had served his time in prison, as her chief administrative assistant. When he was 14, Hill killed an insurance agent by beating him and stabbing him 17 times and served nine years for that crime. Hill was subsequently convicted for the rape of a 16-year-old girl and served 3 1/2 more years in prison.

Bohannan-Sheppard defended the appointment stating that she did not know about Hill's criminal past until after he was hired and that he had served his debt to society. The controversy divided the city government. The city council voted to eliminate Hill's salary, with Sheppard being the only opposing vote, after Sheppard refused to fire him.

In 1995, Bohannan-Sheppard lost her re-election bid for mayor and was replaced by Republican Dr. Aaron Wilson, Jr.