A Tale of Two Mayors: Dave Bing, Kevin Johnson, and the Rise of Athletes-Turned-Politicians By Nicholas J. Coburn-Palo B.S., Weber State University, 1995 A.M., Brown University, 2010 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Political Science at Brown University Providence, Rhode Island May 2014 © Copyright 2014 by Nicholas J. Coburn-Palo This dissertation by Nicholas J. Coburn-Palo is accepted in its present form by the Department of Political Science as satisfying the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ______________________ _______________________________ (date) James Morone, Advisor Recommended to the Graduate Council ______________________ ________________________________ (date) Corey Brettschneider, Reader ______________________ _________________________________ (date) Pauline Jones-Luong, Reader Approved by the Graduate Council ______________________ __________________________________ (date) Peter Weber, Dean of the Graduate School iii Nicholas J. Coburn-Palo E-Mail:
[email protected] Academic Background Brown University – Providence, RI Masters in Political Science (2010) Passed Comprehensive Exams in both American Politics and Political Theory (2010) Weber State University – Ogden, UT B.S. in Political Science with a Minor in History (1995) Cornell University – Ithaca, NY Significant undergraduate coursework undertaken at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the College of Arts and Sciences (1986-1989) Employment Background in Education Doctoral Fellow Brown University – Department of Political Science, Providence, RI; 2008-2013 I am currently a PhD candidate at Brown University in Political Science, attending as a result of winning a fully-funded doctoral fellowship. Areas of academic interest include American Political Development, Celebrity Politics and Elections, Urban Politics, Political Communication, International Diplomacy, U.S.