#TBT First Women of Middletown Politics

On November 3, 2020, Nicole Condrey became the first woman elected as Mayor of Middletown and the city’s first woman mayor in general. However, Condrey isn’t the first woman to hold a high position in Middletown elected government, the honor belongs to Mary Lord, who was Vice Chairwoman of the City Commission in 1968.

At the time, the Middletown City Government was overseen by 5 elected City Commissioners. The Commission Chairman and Vice Chairman were selected by the commission itself. Prior to being elevated to the position of Vice Chairwoman, the equivalent of Vice Mayor, Lord had joined the Middletown City Commission in 1963, the first woman to do so. Outside of her role as City Commissioner, Lord was an accomplished lawyer.

The next woman to join the City Commission after Lord was Mary Alice Mack in 1972. In 2007, Lalisa Lawrence became the first Black woman to serve in Middletown elected government, having been appointed to finish an At-Large Council term. In 2008, Anita Scott Jones and Leslie Ford became the first Black woman to be elected to Council, Scott Jones winning an at large seat and Ford winning the 2nd Ward seat.