Councilwoman Sharon Tucker Becomes The First-Ever Black Mayor Of Fort Wayne, Indiana
Councilwoman Sharon Tucker was elected Saturday as the new mayor of Indiana's second most populated city, and has officially been sworn into office.
Tucker, who will become the first Black leader of Fort Wayne, fills the shoes of the late mayor, Tom Henry, who died in March after a medical emergency related to stomach cancer. He was 72.
The democrat will become the second woman to serve as mayor, being selected in the second round of voting during a democratic caucus, achieving 50% of votes plus one, or 47 minimum.
The first Fort Wayne mayor was Cosette Simon. According to the Associated Press, she served 11 days as mayor in 1985 after Winfield Moses resigned as part of a plea agreement involving alleged campaign finance violations. Simon's term ended when Moses replaced himself after winning a party mayoral caucus.
"Now you've entrusted in me a heavy job, and it doesn't weigh light on my shoulders," Tucker explained to the excited crowd. "I know that I have a lot of responsibility, and I'm going to need every single one of you."
Although the mayor is taking time to celebrate, she's also staying focused on continuing the success of the city and keeping her eyes on communities and improving the lives of residents.
"The biggest thing that I'm concerned about is making sure that we are moving our city forward, continuing the success that we've seen from Mayor Henry, making sure that we are keeping our eye on our communities so that we can improve the quality of life for all of our residents," she explained. "And that part right now is probably the most important thing to me. And it is a little exciting to be the first lady mayor of the city for more than 11 days."
According to the news outlet, Timothy Barbour, Tucker's husband, was overcome with joy following the results of the election. He also makes history as the city's first, first gentleman.
The new mayor is a proud member of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, AVOW (Advancing Voices of Women) and the NAACP, a press release from the city of Fort Wayne wrote. She "has also volunteered on the board of directors for the Allen County Public Library, Alliance Health Clinic, and SEED."
Tucker is also a graduate of Indiana Tech, with two Bachelors of Science degrees in Management and Human Resources.
