Jim Matherly

Jim Matherly is an American businessman and politician who has served as the incumbent mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska since 2016.[1]

Jim Matherly
Mayor Jim Matherly in 2017
Mayor of Fairbanks
Assumed office
October 24, 2016
Preceded byJohn Eberhart
Member of the Fairbanks City Council
from Seat D
In office
October 25, 2010 – October 24, 2016
Preceded byJohn Eberhart
Succeeded byJerry Norum
Personal details
Born
James Henry Matherly Jr.

ca. May 1963 (age 59–60)
Fairbanks, Alaska
Political partyRepublican
RelativesMichael Geraghty (uncle)

Career

Matherly served two terms on the City Council (2010 - 2016) and was elected Mayor after beating incumbent John Eberhart in the 2016 election.[2] He announced in January 2019 that he would run for reelection in the fall of 2019. He won the October 1st race for re-election in 2019.[3]

In September 2018, then Mayor Matherly posted a meme on his Facebook page mocking Christine Blasey Ford. The meme showed Ford with her hand raised and a caption which read "Believe in something, Even if you can't remember anything," referencing the Nike ad featuring Colin Kaepernick. The post prompted outrage from Fairbanksans. Matherly issued an apology, stating that his girlfriend had posted the meme when he showed her his new iPhone.[4]

After stating support for an LGBTQ+ non-discrimination ordinance, Matherly then vetoed the ordinance several days after it was approved by City Council.[5] Ordinance 6093 would have prohibited discrimination against people based on their gender or sexual orientation, in employment, housing and public spaces.[5]

References
  1. Axelrod, Tal (2019-03-01). "Alaska mayor vetoes law granting LGBTQ anti-discrimination protections". TheHill. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  2. Laude, Julie. "Fairbanks Mayor Jim Matherly files for re-election". www.webcenter11.com. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  3. Downing, Suzanne (2019-10-02). "Mayor Jim Matherly, outspent 2-1, wins reelection in Fairbanks race". Must Read Alaska. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  4. Boyce, Rod (September 30, 2018). "Fairbanks city mayor apologizes for meme shared from his Facebook account". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  5. Lang, Nico (March 1, 2019). "'Sad day for democracy': Mayor vetoes city's newly passed LGBTQ protections". NBC News. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
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