Joseph E. Sinnott


Joseph E. "Joe" Sinnott was the 47th mayor of Erie, Pennsylvania. A Democrat, he served as mayor from January 2006 to January 2018 serving 3 terms. He was succeeded as Mayor by Joseph Schember on January 2, 2018.

Biography

A lifelong resident of Erie, Sinnott graduated from Academy High School in 1984, and Gannon University in 1988 with a B.S. in chemistry. He worked as a chemist at the Erie Waste Water Treatment Plant for eight years. He was accepted to Case Western Reserve University School of Law in 1996 and graduated in 1999. He joined the firm of Quinn, Buseck, Leemhuis, Toohey & Kroto in Erie, concentrating in the areas of environmental and commercial litigation, and later practiced domestic and family law with the Erie firm of Carney & Good for several years.
In 2003, Sinnott was elected to the city council for a four-year term. In 2005, he successfully ran for mayor of Erie, taking office on January 2, 2006. Sinnott was reelected in 2009, and again reelected in 2013 for his third and final term.
His parents, Edward and Gloria Sinnott, were both public school teachers.