As a 1950s housewife and League of Women Voters volunteer who spearheaded the city of Lincoln’s switch to a “strong mayor” form of government, Helen Boosalis never anticipated that she herself would one day be that strong mayor and chief executive of Nebraska’s capital city.

 

Helen Boosalis’s story, told by her daughter, Beth Boosalis Davis, is the story of a true pioneer of women in politics. The daughter of Greek immigrants, Boosalis achieved national prominence as the first woman president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and as an outspoken advocate for economically distressed cities facing President Reagan’s “new federalism.” Winning the Democratic nomination for governor of Nebraska in 1986, Helen Boosalis ran against Kay Orr in the first gubernatorial contest between two women in U.S. history. The interwoven tales of conflict and challenge, from the mayor’s office to the campaign trail, combine personal insight into one woman’s trailblazing political history with a compelling memoir of a half century of public service and private devotion shared by two remarkable women.

 

Listen to an interview with Helen Boosalis and Beth Boosalis Davis on AARP's Radio Prime Time show.

Beth Boosalis Davis is an attorney and the daughter of former Lincoln mayor and Nebraska gubernatorial candidate Helen Boosalis. She lives in Evanston, Illinois, where she served for ten years as an alderman. Most recently Davis was executive director of the National Lekotek Center for children with disabilities and is on the boards of Carleton College and Steppenwolf Theatre.

"A true pioneer in American politics, Helen Boosalis moved from being a housewife and volunteer to being elected the first female mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska, in 1975—then she became a nationally prominent advocate for troubled U.S. cities. Her inspiring story is told through the eyes of her daughter."—AARP The Magazine

"An informed and loving tribute of a daughter to her mother."—Mike Steinman, Lincoln Journal Star

"While the book will be of greatest interest to people who have lived in Lincoln, who have known [Helen Boosalis] personally or by her reputation over the decades, it is so well-done that even those who have not known her should find her story compelling. Her daughter, Beth, who lives in Evanston, Illinois, and who was a member of the Evanston City Council, has written a loving and careful tribute to her—I guess you have to say—amazing mother."—Charles Stephen, All About Books

"For readers interested in Nebraska’s local politics and how it may have changed between then and now, the book offers a wealth of information to contemplate. . . . This book is well worth reading for its insights into the national and local political scene in the second half of the 20th century, for its insights into local political interactions, and for its descriptions of the interaction between political activity and family."—Chris Beutler, Prairie Fire

“In a well-researched, respectful, and loving narrative, Davis tells the story of a remarkable political and social leader. Yet, I most relished the story of a magnificent mother-daughter relationship across the decades.”—Mary Pipher, best-selling author of Reviving Ophelia and Writing to Change the World

“The story of Helen Boosalis is the story of American democracy at its best—a daughter of Greek immigrants who became one of the nation’s best mayors and barely missed becoming the governor of Nebraska. Her life stands as a testament to the enduring strength of a country that has not only welcomed its immigrants, it has opened its political system to us and invited us to serve and lead.”—Michael Dukakis, former governor of Massachusetts