Saratha Goggins

Goggins served on the East Cleveland City Council for a very long time^{[clarification needed]} and eventually became its president.^[3] On September 1, 2004,^[3] she was sworn in as mayor of East Cleveland after the resignation of her predecessor who was convicted of racketeering, extortion, mail fraud, and tax evasion,^[4][5] making her the first female and 4th African-American mayor of East Cleveland.

In the October 2005 primary election, running as a Democrat, she was defeated by Eric J. Brewer who earned 54.90% of the vote to her 29.96%^[3] after news broke that she had been convicted in May 1983 of voluntary manslaughter in the stabbing to death her boyfriend on September 30, 1982.^[6][1][2] She stated that the stabbing was in self-defense.^[7]

• List of first African-American mayors