One of the state’s first women mayors has died

A former mayor of Davenport has died — one of the state’s first female mayors and, at the time, the first woman in the nation to lead a town as large as Davenport. Kathy Kirschbaum died Thursday. Another former Davenport mayor, Tom Hart, remembers Kirschbaum as a great leader and a groundbreaker. Hart says “Pioneer is a good word to describe her. She was different than the usual politician of the time and just contributed a lot to the city.” Hart, now director of the Quad City Development Group, helped run Kirschbaum’s campaign for the city council in 1967. Kirschbaum served two terms on the city council before winning a close election for Davenport mayor in 1971. She was reelected in 1973 and later, worked for many years at a savings and loan. No age was given for Kirschbaum, nor a cause of death.