Bohannan-Sheppard became mayor when Chester was failing economically, recovering from corruption in city government and experiencing racial strife and a high crime rate.
[3][4] She was a proponent for environmental justice for the residents of Chester but created a major controversy when she hired a male administrative assistant who had been convicted and served several years in prison for rape and murder.
[3] She moved to Chester, Pennsylvania with her two sons after the marriage ended, in order to attend Widener College with the hope of becoming an attorney.
The city was failing economically and experiencing racial strife, falling real estate prices, a declining population, and a rising crime rate.
[4][3] In 1991, Bohannan-Sheppard became the second female African-American mayor of Chester,[5] defeating Willie Mae James Leake[6] on a wave of public anger due to corruption in city government.
[12] Bohannan-Sheppard created a major controversy by hiring Robert Hill, a convicted murderer and rapist who had served his time in prison, as her chief administrative assistant.