Gallego, Kate, 1981-

Katharine Sarah Gallego (née Widland, born October 21, 1981) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served as the 62nd mayor of Phoenix, Arizona since 2019. She is the second elected female mayor in Phoenix history and, as of 2021, the youngest big city mayor in the United States.

Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Gallego graduated from Albuquerque Academy, where she served as student body vice president. She earned a bachelor's degree in environmental studies from Harvard College and a Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Gallego worked for the Arizona Democratic Party, the Arizona Office of Tourism, as well as on economic development and strategic planning for the Salt River Project. On November 5, 2013, Gallego was elected to the Phoenix City Council for the 8th district; she was reelected in 2017. With Greg Stanton, the Mayor of Phoenix, running for the United States House of Representatives in the 2018 elections, Gallego announced she would run in a special election to succeed him. She resigned from the city council effective August 7, 2018. In the first round of the mayoral election, Gallego received 45 percent and Daniel Valenzuela received 26 percent. She and Valenzuela advanced to a runoff election on March 12, 2019, which Gallego won with 59 percent of the vote.

During her time in office, Gallego has focused on three key policy areas: diversifying the economy, strengthening infrastructure investment, and working to make Phoenix a leader in sustainability. Her record of proven results includes leading the campaign to pass Phoenix's citywide transportation plan through 2050, which was the largest local government commitment to transportation infrastructure in the country when it passed in 2015. She has led efforts on criminal justice reform and ensuring equal pay for equal work. Mayor Gallego is passionate about building a Phoenix that works for everyone and increasing the quality of life for all Phoenicians.