The city of Omaha, Nebraska, swore in its first ever black mayor Monday after Douglas County Treasurer John Ewing Jr. defeated the incumbent.
Ewing, a Democrat, won the general election in May against Republican incumbent Jean Stothert by nearly 13,000 votes. Stothert, who was seeking a fourth term, had become the first woman to serve as mayor upon her first win in 2013.
“I called John Ewing and I congratulated him,” Stothert said on the night of the election, KETV reported. “John Ewing is inheriting tonight a great city, and we leave a strong foundation for the city that we love. We are grateful and we are hopeful.”
Ewing served as the Douglas County treasurer for 17 years and was a member of the Omaha Police Department for nearly 25 years prior to his mayoral win, the outlet reported.
Omaha was the nation’s sixth most populated city led by a Republican mayor, according to the Nebraska Examiner. (RELATED: David Dinkins, New York City’s First Black Mayor, Dies at 93)
In his first speech as mayor, Ewing spoke of unifying the city.
“This is not about North Omaha. This is not about South Omaha. This is not about East Omaha. This is not about West Omaha. This is about Omaha, Nebraska, one of the greatest cities in this country,” he said.
Ewing noted the rise in poverty in his speech, saying, “this is a challenge that we’ll have to confront together.”
“Omaha is home to so much wealth, and yet later this week, we’ll report that poverty is on the rise,” he said. “I have a vision of one Omaha, confronting contrast in wealth requires bigger vision, and mine is intentional economic development. This means creating affordable housing and growing businesses where they’re critically needed in our city.”
“History was just made in the heartland. Congratulations to John Ewing Jr., the first Black mayor of Omaha,” the NAACP said on X.
