Thomas P. Koch
Thomas P. Koch | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Koch in 2024 | |
| 33rd Mayor of Quincy, Massachusetts | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2008 | |
| Preceded by | William J. Phelan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 22, 1963 Quincy, Massachusetts |
| Political party | Independent (since 2018) Democratic (until 2018)[1] |
| Spouse | Christine Keenan Koch |
| Children | 3 |
Thomas P. Koch (/koʊk/ KOHK;[2] born January 22, 1963) is the thirty-third and current mayor of Quincy, Massachusetts.
Biography
[edit]Mayor Koch was born and raised in Quincy the sixth of seven children to Simone and Richard J. Koch. He is 1981 a graduate of North Quincy High School and was the class president. He took classes at the University of Massachusetts Boston, however does not have a college degree. Quincy Mayor James Sheets appointed him his top aide in 1990. In 1995, he was appointed commissioner of the city's Park Department.
Political career
[edit]In February 2007, he resigned and challenged Sheets' successor, William J. Phelan.[3] Koch defeated Phelan 54% to 46% in that year's election.[4] Koch defeated Phelan by a similar margin in a rematch two years later. [5] Koch defeated Phelan once again in 2015, winning the first four-year mayoral term in Quincy's history.[6] Koch also defeated then school committeewoman Anne Mahoney in 2011.[6] Koch and Mahoney, then a city councilor, faced off again 2023, with Koch winning again. [7]
A Democrat at the time, Koch endorsed Republican Charlie Baker in the 2014 Massachusetts gubernatorial election.[8] Baker's opponent, Democrat Martha Coakley, alleged Koch endorsed Baker because Coakley unsuccessfully prosecuted Koch ally Tim Cahill two years prior.[8][9] Koch left the Democratic Party in 2018 because of his anti-abortion views.[10] Later that year, he endorsed Baker's bid for re-election in the 2018 Massachusetts gubernatorial election.[11][12]
Koch has served as chairman of the MBTA Advisory Board since 2011.[13] In August 2021, the MBTA Advisory Board selected Koch to serve as its representative on the MBTA Board of Directors.[13]
During 2018, Koch was interim president of the municipally-affiliated Quincy College.
In June 2024, city councilors approved Koch's request to raise his salary from $159,000 to $285,000, which would make him one of the highest-paid mayors in the United States.[14] Following public outcry, in October Koch said the raise would be deferred until after the 2027 mayoral election.[15] Later that month, Koch said the raise had been deferred in part due to an investigation by the State Ethics Commission.[16][17]
Personal life
[edit]Koch is Roman Catholic.[10] Koch is the brother-in-law of Massachusetts State Senator John F. Keenan.
References
[edit]- ^ Hilliard, John. "Quincy's longest-serving mayor faces off with repeat challenger Tuesday". Boston Globe. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ Koch, Thomas (January 7, 2008). "Quincy mayor Tom Koch takes office" (video). youtube.com. Patriot Ledger.
- ^ Preer, Robert (February 4, 2007). "Ex-aide runs for mayor". The Boston Globe.
- ^ Preer, Robert (June 4, 2009). "Race for mayor now a rematch". The Boston Globe.
- ^ "Incumbent Holds Off Ex-Mayor In Quincy". The Associated Press. 3 November 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ a b Ronan, Patrick (3 November 2015). "Koch notches most decisive win as Quincy mayor". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Blandino, Peter (7 November 2023). "Koch wins reelection in Quincy. What's next for Mahoney". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ a b Birnbaum, Sarah (16 September 2014). "Democratic Quincy Mayor Endorses Baker". WGBH. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Ronan, Patrick (16 September 2014). "Coakley takes shot at Quincy mayor over Baker endorsement". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ a b Cotter, Sean Philip (February 8, 2018). "Koch leaves Democratic Party over abortion". Patriot Ledger. Archived from the original on 2018-08-14. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ Schoenberg, Shira (2014-09-16). "Democratic Mayor Tom Koch of Quincy to endorse Republican gubernatorial nominee Charlie Baker". masslive. Retrieved 2022-09-24.
- ^ @charliebakerma (August 12, 2018). "@KarynPolito and I were proud to be in Quincy today" (Tweet). Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved 2023-05-15 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Hilliard, John (August 24, 2021). "Quincy's Mayor Koch to serve on new MBTA Board of Directors". Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
- ^ Spatz, Emily (6 June 2025). "Quincy City Council approves 79 percent raise for mayor". Boston.com. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Mancini, Ryan (17 October 2024). "Quincy mayor, city councilors push pay raise to next terms in 2026, 2028". Masslive. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
- ^ Jackson, Scott (31 October 2024). "Ethics Commission Was Looking Into Pay Raises". The Quincy Sun.
- ^ Blandino, Peter (31 October 2024). "Why the State Ethics Commission raised concerns over Koch's huge pay raise". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
External links
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