Henriette Reker

Henriette Reker (born 9 December 1956 in Cologne) is a German lawyer and independent politician, elected mayor of Cologne in 2015.
She served as deputy mayor of Gelsenkirchen since 2000. In 2010 she was appointed a mayoral deputy for social affairs, integration and the environment of the city of Cologne. Supported by CDU, FDP and The Greens she is running for the office of the Mayor of Cologne.
At a public event on 17 October 2015, the day before the mayoral elections, she was seriously wounded when a 44-year old man stabbed her in the neck with a knife, while shouting against refugees. A day after the attack, Reker was elected mayor of Cologne after gaining 52.66% of the votes. She is the first female mayor elected in Cologne's history.