Sayles Belton, Sharon, 1951-

<p>An activist, politician, and leader of her community, Sharon Sayles Belton was the first African American and first woman mayor of the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota. A St. Paul native, Belton was born on May 13, 1951. For most of her life she fought for racial equality, women, family and child care issues, youth development and neighborhood development.</p>

<p>Belton, one of four daughters of Bill and Marian Sayles, moved to Minneapolis to live with her father after her parents’ separation. In Minneapolis, Belton attended Central High School and volunteered at Mt. Sinai Hospital in her spare time but eventually accepted a paid position at the hospital as a nurse’s aide. Belton received her Bachelor of Science in biology from Macalester College in 1973 and developed plans to become a pediatrician.</p>

<p>Those plans were jettisoned when she began working as a parole officer for sexual assault offenders. Her work prompted her to call for tougher penalties for sexual predators. In 1978 Belton co-founded the Harriet Tubman Shelter for Battered Women in Minneapolis. She also got involved in community crime prevention programs and worked to reduce community-police tensions.</p>

<p>Sharon Sayles Belton (born May 13, 1951) is an American community leader, politician and activist. She is Vice President of Community Relations and Government Affairs for Thomson Reuters Legal business.</p>

<p>She served as mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota, from 1994 until 2001, the first African American and first woman to hold that position.</p>

<p>Sayles Belton was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as one of four daughters of Bill and Ethel Sayles. After her parents separated, she lived for one year with her mother in Richfield, Minnesota, where she was the only African American in East Junior High School, then moved to south Minneapolis to live with her father and stepmother. She attended Central High School in Minneapolis. She volunteered as a candy striper at Mount Sinai Hospital, and later worked as a nurse's aide. She was briefly a civil rights activist in the state of Mississippi.</p>

<p><b>RACES</b>
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<li> 11/06/2001 Minneapolis Mayor Lost 34.86% (-30.28%)</li>
<li> 09/11/2001 Minneapolis Mayor - Primary Won 26.88% (+0.00%)</li>
<li> 11/04/1997 Minneapolis Mayor Won 55.11% (+10.23%)</li>
<li> 09/09/1997 Minneapolis Mayor - Primary Won 51.38% (+16.08%)</li>
<li> 11/02/1993 Minneapolis Mayor Won 57.37% (+14.74%)</li>
<li> 09/14/1993 Minneapolis Mayor - Primary Won 27.93% (+7.80%)</li>
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