Mike Rawlings
Former mayor of Dallas, Texas, United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Michael Scott Rawlings (born August 25, 1954) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 59th Mayor of Dallas, Texas. A member of the Democratic Party, he won the nonpartisan 2011 Dallas mayoral election defeating former Dallas Police Chief David Kunkle.[1][2][3][4][5] He was reelected in 2015 by defeating Dallas lawyer Marcos Ronquillo.
Mike Rawlings | |
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59th Mayor of Dallas | |
In office June 27, 2011 ā June 17, 2019 | |
Preceded by | Dwaine Caraway (Acting) |
Succeeded by | Eric Johnson |
Personal details | |
Born | Michael Scott Rawlings (1954-08-25) August 25, 1954 (age 69) Borger, Texas, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Micki Rawlings |
Children | 2 |
Education | Boston College (BA) |
Rawlings served as CEO of Pizza Hut from 1997 to 2002 and was also a former chief executive of the Tracy-Locke ad agency.[6][7][8] In addition to his work in the city, Rawlings is also a prominent opponent of domestic violence, speaking at many events, including a Ring The Bell event at the United Nations[9] alongside actor Patrick Stewart.[10][11]
Rawlings garnered national attention during the Ebola outbreak, the July 7th, 2016, ambush on Dallas police officers, and a dispute over the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System.[12] On the question of Confederate Statue Removal, Rawlings stated in August 2017 that Confederate statues in Dallas city parks are "monuments of propaganda" and called for a task force to decide what should be done with them.[13] Rawlings pushed for the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in a city park.[14]
At the 2018 Conference of Mayors, Rawlings, who was known as a supporter of the arts in Dallas, received the 2018 National Award for Local Arts from the United States Conference of Mayors and Americans for the Arts in Washington, DC.[15]