Dorothy Kelly Gay
{{Short description|Politician, 34th mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts, USA}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name =Dorothy Kelly Gay
| image =
| imagesize =
| smallimage =
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| office =34th Mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts
| term_start =May 21, 1999
| term_end =January 5, 2004
| predecessor = William M. Roche (Acting)
| successor = Joseph Curtatone
| office2 = Member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council for the 6th District
| term_start2 = 1993
| term_end2 = 1999
| predecessor2 = Daniel G. Hurley
| successor2 = Michael J. Callahan
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1943|4|23}}
| birth_place = Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland
| death_date =
| death_place =
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| nationality =
| party = Democratic
| spouse = Bertram Gay
| relations =
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| alma_mater =Mayday Hospital School of Nursing
| occupation =
| profession = Registered Nurse
Administrative Coordinator of Nursing
| religion =
| signature =
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}}
Dorothy "Dot" A. Kelly Gay is an Irish-born American politician who served as mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts, and on the Massachusetts Governor's Council.
Early life
Gay was born on April 26, 1943, in Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland.{{cite book|title=Public Officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1997-1998|url=https://archive.org/stream/publicofficersof19971998bost#page/32/mode/2up}} Her father was a politician, nurse and union activist.{{cite news|last=Chase|first=Joseph P.|title=Mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay: Somerville's Lucky Charm|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1999/10/6/mayor-dorothy-kelly-gay-somervilles-lucky/#|accessdate=November 20, 2013|newspaper=The Harvard Crimson|date=October 6, 1999}} She graduated from Newtown National School, Convent of Mercy Secondary School, and Ballinasloe Technical School. In 1961 she moved to England to pursue a career in nursing. She graduated from the Mayday Hospital School of Nursing in Surrey in 1964. In the early 1960s she met Bertram Gay in London.{{cite web|title=One Patient's New Lease on Life|url=http://www.mountauburnhospital.org/body.cfm?id=494|work=Mount Auburn Hospital|publisher=Mount Auburn Hospital|accessdate=November 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826114508/http://www.mountauburnhospital.org/body.cfm?id=494|archive-date=August 26, 2014|url-status=dead}} The couple later married and in 1968 they immigrated to the United States because their child needed a surgery that was only available at Boston Children's Hospital. They settled in Somerville and the couple soon found employment, with Gay getting hired at Somerville's Heritage Hospital. She continued to work as a nurse until 1999.
Political career
In 1986, Kelly Gay was appointed to the Somerville School Committee. She was elected to a full term ten months later. In 1992 Gay was elected to the Massachusetts Governor's Council in the 6th District. In 1998 she ran for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. Gay lost in the Democratic primary to State Senator Warren Tolman 270,791 (54%) votes to 232,250 (46%).{{Cite web|url=http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=665324|title = Our Campaigns - MA Lt. Governor - D Primary Race - Sep 15, 1998}}
In 1999, Gay was elected Mayor of Somerville in a special election to succeed Michael Capuano, who was elected to the United States House of Representatives. She defeated alderman John Buonomo 6878 votes to 6473.{{cite news|last=Chase|first=Joseph P.|title=Dorothy Kelly Gay Elected Mayor of Somerville|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1999/5/12/dorothy-kelly-gay-elected-mayor-of/|accessdate=November 20, 2013|newspaper=The Harvard Crimson|date=May 12, 1999}} She ran for a full term later that year and was elected unopposed. In 2003, Gay finished third in the preliminary election behind Alderman Joseph Curtatone and businessman Tony Lafuente. Gay's loss was blamed on increasing gang violence, declining economic growth, and cuts in state aid that forced her to cut public services and fire 200 municipal workers.{{cite news|last=Gedan|first=Benjamin|title=Curtatone passes Lafuente to succeed ousted mayor|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2003/11/05/curtatone_passes_lafuente_to_succeed_ousted_mayor/|accessdate=November 20, 2013|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=November 5, 2003}}
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gay, Dorothy Kelly}}
Category:20th-century Irish politicians
Category:People from Ballinasloe
Category:Irish emigrants to the United Kingdom
Category:Irish emigrants to the United States
Category:Massachusetts Democrats
Category:Mayors of Somerville, Massachusetts
Category:Members of the Massachusetts Governor's Council
Category:School board members in Massachusetts
Category:Women mayors of places in Massachusetts