2009: Sister Act

In April, former City Councilwoman Joanne Hollis ran in the school board election. Her sister, Bridget Rivers, was already serving as school board president. Hollis was not among the winners, but state officials said it would not have been a problem to serve alongside her sister if she had won.

In June, Rivers won the Fourth Ward Democratic Primary, narrowly defeating Vera Greaves, the running mate of Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs. She was unopposed in the November general election, where the incumbent was re-elected mayor.

In December, Rivers stepped down from her second term as board president and then from the board itself. Tomorrow (Jan. 1, 2010), she will be sworn in to serve four years representing the Fourth Ward, just as Hollis did after winning the seat in November 2001.

Expect to see her proud sister Joanne smiling from the audience.

--Bernice Paglia