Larry Morrissey

Lawrence J. "Larry" Morrissey (born September 4, 1969) is the Mayor of Rockford, Illinois. As an independent, Morrissey defeated Democratic incumbent Doug Scott in the 2005 mayoral elections after trying in his first run in 2001 with a populist campaign promising road improvements, education reforms, lower property taxes and a revitalized downtown. In an attempt to reduce the city's reliance on property taxes to fund road projects, Morrissey proposed an increase to the city's sales tax. A sales tax increase referendum was defeated in the March 2006 primary but passed in the April 2007 election.