CORNING, N.Y. (WENY) – A Corning native has announced her election bid to represent Corning's 8th Ward in the City Council.

Debbie Shannon was born and raised in Corning, graduating for East High School in 1979. She earned an A.S. Degree in Math and Science from Corning Community College and a B.S. Degree in Psychology from SUNY Buffalo.

After that, she moved to Miami, Florida, where she headed a nonprofit that partnered with architects and halfway houses to help domestic abuse survivors, as well as volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.

She earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Florida International University and has published in three books. After that, she worked as an actress in commercials, films and TV shows, being nominated for an Emmy.

Shannon was also part of a small professional singing ensemble that sang in front of two Popes. She later moved to Manhattan and worked as an officer manager at a hedge fund before moving back to Corning.

Since returning to the Crystal City, Shannon became a member of the Corning Elks Club and currently serves as the Esteemed Lecturing Knight. She says she wants to take her “range of experiences and leadership skills and put them to work” for her neighbors.

“There’s too much partisanship in politics nowadays,” said Shannon. “I say, let Washington worry about Washington. I’m your neighbor with the same values and desires that you have. I’m a hometown girl. I’m your neighbor, and I am ready to work for you to solve problems that affect our neighborhood.”