Buerkle, Ann Marie, 1951-

<p>Ann Marie Buerkle (/ˈbɜːrkəl/ BUR-kəl; née Colella; born May 8, 1951) is an American nurse, attorney, and politician. She served as a commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) beginning in July 2013 and was the agency's acting chairman from February 2017 to September 2019. During her tenure, the number of companies fined declined sharply, and she was criticized by consumer advocates. Buerkle was an Assistant New York State Attorney General from 1997 through 2010. She served as U.S. Representative for the New York's 25th congressional district, elected in 2010 in an upset of a Democratic incumbent. In a rematch of her 2010 contest, Buerkle was defeated by former Congressman Dan Maffei. She is a member of the Republican Party.</p>

<p>Buerkle was born Ann Marie Colella in 1951 in Auburn, New York, the daughter of Sadie M. (née Fiduccia) and Alfred D. "Al" Colella. All of her grandparents were born in Italy. After graduating as a registered nurse from St. Joseph's Hospital School of Nursing in Syracuse, New York, she worked at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City and at St. Joseph's. She was a substitute school nurse for many years before obtaining her J.D. degree from Syracuse University School of Law. She was married to August Buerkle from 1972 to 1997.</p>

<p>She served as an Assistant New York State Attorney General from 1997 to 2010. She also served one term on the Syracuse, New York Common Council. Buerkle is divorced and has six children.</p>

<p>Having worked as a nurse, businesswoman, attorney, and activist, Ann Marie Buerkle brought a myriad of experiences to her one term in the United States House of Representatives. Though she entered politics as an avid anti-abortion activist, she also worked on economic policy, health care, and foreign affairs. When asked how she planned to build upon her prior activism, she responded, “Life is an evolution. You never stay in the same place. I have a pretty consistent record of public service. And that’s why I’m running now. I see a lack of representation for people who live here.”</p>

<p>Ann Marie Buerkle was born Ann Marie Colella on May 8, 1951, in Auburn, New York, to Alfred and Sadie Colella, the middle child of five. A first-generation American, Alfred sold insurance and owned and operated the Mohican Market, as well as several roller rinks in the Syracuse area where Buerkle worked during her teenage years. She frequently attributed her values to “living in a small town and in a traditional family where gender roles were well-defined.” Buerkle graduated from Mount Carmel Catholic High School in Auburn before attending St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing in Syracuse. She married August R. Buerkle two weeks after earning her nursing degree in 1972. The couple raised six children: Gus, Betsy, Tom, Amy, Christine, and Caroline. The marriage ended in a divorce in 1997.</p>

<p>Buerkle specialized in trauma treatment at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City until her family moved back to central New York in 1976. The following year, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Le Moyne College in Syracuse. Buerkle worked as a teaching nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital until leaving the job to care for her family, occasionally substituting as a school nurse in the Syracuse area. During this period, she also became involved with the movement against abortion rights and helped found a Friends for Life chapter in Syracuse. She served as local spokeswoman for the chapter and the anti-abortion organization Operation Rescue before leading the Syracuse Right-to-Life Group.</p>