Michael Derrick Tubbs (born August 2, 1990) is an American politician, currently mayor of Stockton, California. Elected as mayor in 2016 at age 26, he is the youngest mayor in Stockton's history, and its first African-American mayor.
Video Michael Tubbs
Early life
Tubbs was born in south Stockton and grew up in poverty. His mother, Racole Dixon, was a teenager at the time of his birth, and his father, also named Michael Tubbs, is serving a life sentence in prison for kidnapping, drug possession, and robbery. Tubbs has a younger brother named Drevonte.
Maps Michael Tubbs
Education
Tubbs attended Hamilton Middle School. In 2007, while a student at Franklin High School, Tubbs won an essay contest sponsored by Alice Walker. His essay about overcoming the mistakes his parents made was published in the San Francisco Chronicle. He criticized his father's "Scapegoat mentality" and praised his mother for overcoming adversity.
Tubbs graduated with the International Baccalaureate diploma from Franklin High School in 2008. That July, Tubbs was a member of a team of three San Joaquin County teenagers who won a national debate competition in Cincinnati sponsored by the NAACP. They advocated for universal health care, and the debate was followed by a speech by the presidential candidate Barack Obama.
He then attended Stanford University on a need-based scholarship, graduating in 2012 with a BA in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity and a master's degree in Policy, Leadership and Organization Studies. As an undergraduate, he received a Truman Scholarship, and was the joint winner of the university's Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel award for "distinctive and exceptional contributions to...the quality of student life." During his time at Stanford, he also served as President of the school's NAACP chapter, and interned at the White House.
Personal life
In December 2017 Tubbs married Anna Malaika Nti-Asare, whom he met at Stanford University. After graduating from Stanford in 2014 as a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and the University of Cambridge with a master's degree in multidisciplinary gender studies in 2015, Nti-Asare spent two years teaching at Aspire Langston Hughes Academy in Stockton. She is now a Gates Cambridge Scholar and a PhD student in education at the University of Cambridge.
Tubbs was arrested for driving under the influence in 2014. Tubbs apologized for what he called a "poor decision to drive when I should not have." He pled no contest to misdemeanor charges.
Political career
Tubbs announced his candidacy for Stockton Council District 6 for the November 6, 2012 general election, running against incumbent Dale Pritchen. He won the primary and received a $10,000 campaign donation from Oprah Winfrey after meeting her while she toured the Stanford campus.
Tubbs went on to win the election, receiving 61.7% of the vote, and took office in January 2013 at the age of 22, making him the youngest councilmember in Stockton history and one of the youngest elected officials in the United States. His candidacy was also the subject of a documentary, True Son, which premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.
Tubbs announced his candidacy for mayor of Stockton on September 2, 2015, running against incumbent Mayor Anthony Silva in the 2016 general election. He was endorsed by President Barack Obama on November 2, 2016, less than a week before the election. He went on to win the election, receiving 70.6% of the vote and becoming both the city's first black mayor and at 26 the youngest person to hold that office. His term in office began on January 1, 2017.
Electoral history
Stockton City Council
Mayor of Stockton
References
External links
- Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs - City of Stockton, CA
- KQED radio interview: Stockton's Fast-Rising Mayor Michael Tubbs
Source of article : Wikipedia
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