Diversity in US mayoral wins
Published:Friday | November 5, 2021 | 12:06 AMLester Hinds/Gleaner Writer
IN ELECTIONS across the United States of America on Tuesday, several candidates of colour made history winning a number of mayoral posts in various cities.
Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, Dearborn, Michigan and Buffalo saw a majority of voters electing candidates of colour to the post of mayor.
In New York City, Democratic candidate Eric Adams was the runway winner, becoming the second black person to be elected mayor of the city. David Dinkins had the distinction of being the first black to win the post.
Adams, who was Brooklyn’s borough president before winning the election on Tuesday, will take over in January 2022. He defeated the Republican candidate Curtis Silwa. In Buffalo, Byron Brown won his fifth term as mayor.
After losing the democratic primary, Mayor Brown mounted a well-financed write-in campaign to try and keep his job.
Mayor Brown sat out the nominating period, did not take part in any debates and walked away winning some 56 per cent of the votes.
Over in Boston, voters elected the first female mayor and a woman of colour.
Asian-American Michelle Wu, the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, broke the city streak of 199 years of electing while males to the post.
A councillor on the Boston city council, Wu defeated fellow democrat Annissa Essaibi George, first generation Arab Polish American. Republican Winsone Sears was elected new lieutenant governor for Virginia. She is the first woman and woman of colour to serve in the position.
The new mayor is a graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Law School.
The contest between the two female candidates marked a turning point in Boston politics which has a history of racial tensions and forced desegregation. The election also reflects the growing diversity of the city where blacks, Latinos and Asians now make up more than half the population.
In Pittsburgh, Ed Gainey was elected the city’s first black mayor.
Born and raised in the city by a single mother, Gainey lived in public housing and later found a career in politics.
CHANGE
Gainey believes that his election to the post of mayor will change the image of the city.
In Cincinnati, the city elected its first Asian-American mayor – Aftab Pureval.
The son of Tibetan-Indian immigrants, Pureval, who is an attorney, previously worked for Procter and Gamble before entering politics, winning the race for county clerk of courts in 2016.
In Dearborn, Michigan, Abdullah Hammoud became the city’s first Arab-American Muslim mayor.
His victory is seen as the growing strength and influence of the Arab community. He is the son of Lebanese immigrants.
Kansas City also elected its first black mayor on Tuesday. He is Tyrone garner who defeated the incumbent David Alvey.
In Seattle, Asian-American Bruce Harrell has a sizeable lead in his race to become mayor. He would be the city’s first Asian-American mayor.
Manhattan in New York city also has its first black district attorney. He is Alvin Bragg, a native of Harlem.