Lori Palmeri

American politician (born 1967)
Lori Palmeri
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 54th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2023
Preceded byGordon Hintz
49th Mayor of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
In office
April 2019 – April 2023
Preceded bySteve Cummings
Succeeded byMatt Mugerauer
Personal details
Born
Lori Ann Clarke

(1967-05-25) May 25, 1967 (age 57)
Takoma Park, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouses
Jeffrey S. McCord
​
(divorced)​
  • Anthony Palmeri
    • ResidenceOshkosh, Wisconsin
    Alma mater
    Website
    • Official website
    • Campaign website

    Lori Ann Palmeri (née Clarke; born May 25, 1967) is an American urban planner, community organizer, and Democratic politician. She is a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Wisconsin's 54th Assembly district since January 2023. She previously served as the 49th mayor of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

    She was also previously known as Lori A. Hoover and Lori A. McCord.

    Biography

    Lori Palmeri was born Lori Ann Clarke, in Takoma Park, Maryland, May 25, 1967. She had an extremely difficult childhood, and suffered abuse and homelessness before being placed in the foster care system.[1] She became pregnant at age 15, dropped out of school and got married.[1] She left her first husband and moved for some time to Indianapolis, Indiana, and was involved in litigation several times with her estranged husband over child support. She completed the G.E.D. in the 1990s, and worked as a contract paralegal.[1] She soon returned to Wisconsin, where she worked in an IT job for ProVantage Health Services, and then moved to Kimberly, Wisconsin, where she worked for the Kimberly Clark Corporation.

    She took college courses at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, Fox Cities Campus, and ultimately moved to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 2008.[2] In Oshkosh, she studied urban planning at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh and worked as an intern for the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. She earned her bachelor's degree in 2010, and went on to obtain her master's in urban planning from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee in 2013.[3]

    She worked a number of jobs in the city of Oshkosh, and started her own consulting firm in 2015.

    Political career

    In Spring 2016, she was elected to the Oshkosh Common Council in an at-large seat. In 2019, she challenged incumbent mayor Steve Cummings and prevailed with 51.4% of the vote.[4] She went on to win re-election in 2021, defeating Kris Larson.[5]

    In March 2022, Oshkosh's state representative Gordon Hintz announced he would retire after eight terms in the Assembly.[6] Prior to making his announcement, however, he called Palmeri to inform her of his decision and asked her to run for his seat.[7] Palmeri took up the challenge and entered the race. She did not face an opponent in the Democratic primary, but during the campaign news broke about her difficult upbringing and personal and legal difficulties, resulting in her addressing that period of her life for the first time in an interview with WHBY radio.[1] She went on to win the general election with 54% of the vote, defeating Republican Donnie Herman.[8]

    She was sworn into the Assembly in January 2023. She did not run for re-election as mayor in 2023, and her term ended shortly after the start of the legislative session.[9]

    Personal life and family

    Lori Clarke took the last name McCord when she married Jeffrey McCord. They had a troubled marriage and divorced, but continued to fight over child support payments for several years.[10] Lori subsequently changed her name to Lori Hoover. She was then involved in another abusive relationship before obtaining a restraining order, in 2003, against Barney Lynch.[11]

    Lori is now married to Anthony "Tony" Palmeri. Palmeri is a professor at the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh, and served several years on the Oshkosh common council. Lori has two adult children from earlier relationships and two grandchildren.[2]

    Electoral history

    Oshkosh Mayor (2019, 2021)

    2019 Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Mayoral Election
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    General Election, April 2, 2019[12]
    Nonpartisan Lori Palmeri 4,681 51.78%
    Nonpartisan Steve Cummings (incumbent) 4,359 48.22% -12.88%
    Plurality 322 3.56% -20.37%
    Total votes 9,040 100.0% +25.64%
    2021 Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Mayoral Election
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    Nonpartisan Primary, February 16, 2021 (top two)[13]
    Nonpartisan Lori Palmeri (incumbent) 1,774 44.37%
    Nonpartisan Kris Larsen 946 23.66%
    Nonpartisan Deb Allison-Asby 843 21.09%
    Nonpartisan Robert E. Wilcox 435 10.88%
    Total votes 3,998 100.0%
    General Election, April 6, 2021[14]
    Nonpartisan Lori Palmeri (incumbent) 4,517 51.59% -0.19%
    Nonpartisan Kris Larsen 4,183 47.78%
    Nonpartisan Robert E. Wilcox (write-in) 55 0.63%
    Plurality 334 3.81% +0.25%
    Total votes 8,755 100.0% -3.15%

    Wisconsin Assembly (2022)

    2022 Wisconsin Assembly 43rd District Election
    Party Candidate Votes % ±%
    General Election, November 8, 2022[8]
    Democratic Lori Palmeri 12,124 53.79% -0.39%
    Republican Donnie Herman 10,382 46.06% +0.36%
    Scattering 32 0.14%
    Plurality 1,742 7.73% -0.75%
    Total votes 22,538 100.0% -21.15%
    Democratic hold

    References

    1. ^ a b c d Zimmerman, Jason (October 6, 2022). "EXCLUSIVE: Oshkosh mayor shares details of her troubled past". WHBY. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    2. ^ a b "Meet Lori". Lori Palmeri for State Assembly. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    3. ^ "Mayor Lori Palmeri". City of Oshkosh. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    4. ^ Shuda, Nathaniel (April 2, 2019). "Lori Palmeri defeats incumbent Steve Cummings in Oshkosh mayoral race". Oshkosh Northwestern. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    5. ^ Groth, Alex (April 7, 2021). "Voters reelect Oshkosh Mayor Lori Palmeri to second term; three new city council members elected". Oshkosh Northwestern. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    6. ^ "Former Assembly Democratic leader Gordon Hintz won't seek reelection". Wisconsin Public Radio. March 3, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    7. ^ Chappell, Robert (September 16, 2022). ""Grandmother with grit." Oshkosh Mayor looks to hold Assembly seat for Dems". Madison 365. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    8. ^ a b Canvass Results for 2022 General Election - 11/8/2022 (Report). Wisconsin Elections Commission. November 21, 2022. p. 21. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    9. ^ Krause, Jonathan (November 11, 2022). "Palmeri will remain as Oshkosh Mayor while serving in the Assembly". WHBY. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    10. ^ "Shawano County Case Number 1993FA000112 Jeffrey S. McCord vs Lori A. Clarke f/k/a Lori A. McCord". Wisconsin Circuit Court Access. July 27, 1993. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    11. ^ "Outagamie County Case Number 2003CV000390 Lori A Hoover vs. Barney J Lynch". Wisconsin Circuit Court Access. March 25, 2003. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    12. ^ 04-02-2019_Election_Results (Report). Oshkosh City Clerk. April 11, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    13. ^ 02-16-2021-Election-Results (Report). Oshkosh City Clerk. March 3, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
    14. ^ 04-07-2021-Election-Results (Report). Oshkosh City Clerk. April 12, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2022.

    External links

    • Official (Assembly) website
    • Campaign website
    • Representative Lori A. Palmeri at Wisconsin Legislature
    • Official (city) website (Archived December 8, 2022)
    • Lori Palmeri at Ballotpedia
    • Lori Palmeri at Wisconsin Vote
    Wisconsin State Assembly
    Preceded by Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from the 54th district
    January 3, 2023 – present     		Incumbent
    Political offices
    Preceded by
    Steve Cummings
    		 Mayor of Oshkosh, Wisconsin
    April 2019 – April 2023     		Succeeded by
    Matt Mugerauer
    • v
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    106th Wisconsin Legislature (2023–2025)
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