"Can the daughter of a Sicilian shoemaker brought up in a New England city where insurance companies reign and democrats rule become America's first lady of a major capital city- even if she is a little square and a republican?" In 1967 Ann achieved the impossible: she became the first ever woman mayor in the history of Hartford; the first woman mayor in the history of the State; the first woman in the entire country to be elected Mayor of a major city; the last Republican to occupy that position in Hartford.
In the short span of four years as Mayor from 1967 to 1971 she left an historical but overlooked legacy. Her 1969 speech on what ailed Hartford is as current today as it was then. Her actions and statement following the harrowing 1969 riots offer a blue print for some of the same issues today. Her strong support in the advancement of women rights was trailblazing and overlooked.