Clare Higgins (politician)

Mary Clare Higgins, a Democrat, was elected to her first term as Mayor of Northampton, Massachusetts in November 1999; she took office in January 2000. She was elected to a sixth two-year term in November 2009. She is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition, an organization formed in 2006 and co-chaired by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston mayor Thomas Menino.

Before becoming mayor, Higgins worked in early childhood education, served as an at-large City Councilor, and was a Commissioner on the board of the Northampton Housing Authority.

She earned her bachelor's degree in 2003 through the University Without Walls at the University of Massachusetts Amherst