Sandra Unterman was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1941 to Milton and Semah (née
Zinsher) Unterman. Her early years were spent in Brooklyn, New York until the family
moved to Belmont, Vermont. She earned her bachelor’s degree and a Phi Beta Kappa key
in 1963 from the University of New Hampshire. She moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in
1972 with her husband, David C. Hoeh and their three children, Christopher, Jeffrey,
and Jonathan. She was elected to her first term as Alderwoman of Milwaukee’s 3rd
District in 1976 and was re-elected in 1980, 1984, and 1988. She was later known as
Sandra Hoeh-Lyon, marrying Rick Lyon after divorcing David Hoeh.
As an Alderwoman, Hoeh worked to improve the neighborhoods inside her district. At
that time, the 3rd District was bordered to the north by East Edgewood Avenue, to
the east by Lake Michigan, to the south by East Mason Street and East Lyon Street,
and to the west by the Milwaukee River and North Pierce Street. As soon as she took
office, she began to combat urban blight in her district. Hoeh traveled through the
district, reviewing properties her constituents reported, and filed complaints with
the city Building Inspector’s Office. In addition to fighting urban blight, Hoeh
fought against the proposed widening of Locust Street, arguing that it would destroy
numerous businesses and residences. While she served as Alderwoman, she also worked
to reduce the number of taverns in her district and ensure that neighborhoods were
safe for her constituents and their families.
During her terms, Hoeh served as vice-president and chair of the Finance and
Personnel Committee. She also worked with the Board of Zoning Appeals, the Licenses
Division, and the Sewerage Commission. In February 1989, Hoeh resigned her office as
Alderwoman to serve as the Sanitation Superintendent for the City of Milwaukee, a
position she held from 1989 to 1990. Hoeh left the Sanitation Department when she
accepted the position of Assistant Chancellor for University Relations at the
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. In 2003, Hoeh was appointed the Director of
Community Relations in the Provost’s Office of Dartmouth College, in Hanover, New
Hampshire, where she and her first husband and children had lived before coming to
Milwaukee.
