Lillian DeBaptiste | |
|---|---|
| 62ndMayor of West Chester | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Jordan Norley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lillian Louise DeBaptiste (1951-11-15)November 15, 1951 (age 74) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Thomas D. Lambert Sr. |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent | Clifford DeBaptiste |
| Education | West Chester University(Graduate in Psychology) |
Lillian Louise DeBaptiste (born November 15, 1951) is anAmerican politician and funeral director. ADemocrat, she is currently serving as Mayor ofWest Chester, the seat ofChester County, Pennsylvania. She is the borough's firstblack female mayor.
DeBaptiste graduated from bothHenderson High School andWest Chester University inpsychology.[1][2]
DeBaptiste has been a funeral director at her family'sfuneral home, DeBaptiste Funeral Homes, since 1973. The business has a location in West Chester and another inBryn Mawr.[3][4] She runs abanquet hall as well. Called Milestone Events, it is located next door to their West Chester funeral home.[2][5][6]
On February 7, 2021, DeBaptiste announced her candidacy for Mayor of West Chester.[7] She won the Democratic primary, defeating the incumbent interim mayorJordan Norley and a third candidate, Kyle Hudson.[8] DeBaptiste went on to win the general election in November and became the borough's first black female mayor on January 3, 2022.[9][10]
DeBaptiste endorsedMalcolm Kenyatta for the2022 Pennsylvania Senate race.[11][12]
DeBaptiste announced that she would co-sponsor West Chester's first annualPorchfest, along with the West Chester Green Team. It was held on May 21, 2022.[13][14][15]
She also continued the Police Department Diversity Task Force, a borough committee started by her predecessor that hopes to raise trust in the West Chester Police Department by making it more ethnically diverse.[16]
Mayor of West Chester, PA, 2021[8][17]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lillian L. DeBaptiste | 997 | 51.87% | |
| Democratic | Jordan Norley (Incumbent) | 665 | 34.60% | |
| Democratic | Kyle Hudson | 250 | 13.01% | |
| Write-in | 10 | 0.52% | ||
| Total votes | 1,922 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lillian L. DeBaptiste | 2,116 | 63.52% | |
| Libertarian | Beth Ann Rosica | 543 | 16.30% | |
| Liberty for All | Eric R. Lorgus | 659 | 19.78% | |
| Write-in | 13 | 0.39% | ||
| Total votes | 3,331 | 100.00% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
DeBaptiste is married to Thomas D. Lambert Sr. The couple lives in West Chester. They have five children and four grandchildren together.[1] DeBaptiste is the daughter of former mayorClifford DeBaptiste, who served as the borough's first black mayor from 1994 to 2002 as aRepublican.[18][19] Active in her community, DeBaptiste has worked with the Charles A. Melton Arts & Education Center, the Chester County Community Foundation, and her localPlanned Parenthood branch.[20][2]