(CNN) Political newcomer Yemi Mobolade will become Colorado Springs’ first elected black mayor, defeating Republican Wayne Williams in Tuesday’s runoff election.
“We are standing on a precipice of a new era in our city’s history,” Mobolade said in a speech on Tuesday night. “Colorado Springs will be an inclusive, culturally rich, economically prosperous safe and vibrant city on a hill that shines brightly.
Mobolade, an independent, will succeed Mayor John Suthers. Suthers, the state’s former attorney general, had endorsed Williams.
Mobolade will be the first non-Republican to hold the office since Colorado Springs began electing mayors, according to The Gazette. The mayoral election is nonpartisan, but the city — the second largest in Colorado — is considered a conservative stronghold.
Mobolade campaigned on crime and safety, improved the city’s infrastructure and housing, and built a business-friendly city. His opponent, Williams, previously served as a Colorado Springs city councilman after working as a county commissioner and clerk in El Paso County.
Born in Nigeria, Mobolade began a career in quality control manufacturing. He later co-founded the cafe-restaurants Good Neighbors Meeting House and The Wild Goose Meeting House, as well as Niche Coaching and Consulting.
Mobolade served as the city’s small business development administrator and vice president of business retention and expansion for the Colorado Springs Chamber & Economic Development Corporation.
