SHREVEPORT, LA (AP) — Voters in Shreveport elected the city's first black woman mayor on Saturday.
Ollie Tyler, a former education official, defeated no-party challenger Victoria Provenza, a teacher, geologist and businesswoman. It was the first time two women faced off in a runoff for the mayor's office in Shreveport. Tyler captured 63 percent of the votes, according to election results.
The Times’ Alexandria Burris reports that Tyler will be the second woman to lead the city. Republican Hazel Beard left office in 1994.
She succeeds term-limited Mayor Cedric Glover and will be sworn in Dec. 27.
Tyler said she will work on her transition team, including putting together an economic development team. She said a priority would be to go through the budget and see what funds are available for infrastructure needs done.
"I want to thank everybody for the confidence they placed in me, and we're going to be out there engaging them to help us grow our city to make it better," Tyler said after the election.
Tyler, a former school superintendent and state Education Department top official, has never held elected office.
