A historic election
Woman is first female and African-American to be elected mayor, edging out incumbent
Missouri City voters elect Yolanda Ford as their next mayor, making her the first woman and African-American to hold the city’s highest office.
Missouri City voters Saturday elected Yolanda Ford as their next mayor, the first woman and African-American ever selected for the city’s highest office.
Ford narrowly defeated incumbent Allen Owen, who has been Missouri City’s mayor for nearly a quarter of a century. Ford captured about 52 percent of the vote to Owen’s 48 percent in Saturday’s runoff election.
“I am so proud that the residents of Missouri City have elected me as their mayor,” Ford said in a statement. “After having served on the city council for the past five years, and as a lifelong resident, I am deeply invested in the well-being and growth of Missouri City, and I look forward to working with citizens, the city council and others toward its betterment.” Ford, an urban planning manager, will take the oath of office Dec. 17.
Also Saturday, Missouri City voters re-elected Chris Preston as at-large position 2 council member. He beat challenger Susan Soto by a 64 percent to 36 percent margin in a runoff election.
Ford has served as a Missouri City District A council member since 2013. A Missouri City native with a master’s degree in architecture, she has 20 years of professional land and community development experience.
During the campaign, Ford said, “there’s a need for a new vision and direction for our city.” She said Missouri City’s immediate needs are to increase revenue, repair infrastructure, address public safety and redevelop major corridors and added that “I want to implement a comprehensive plan that addresses our challenges, start to assume our utilities and improve the aesthetics of the major corridors.”
Ford and Owen qualified for the runoff after a similarly tight Nov. 6 election. Ford received 35.6 percent of that vote and Owen, mayor since 1994, received 34.96 percent. Fred Taylor, the third candidate, received 29.39 percent.
Owen, who has lived in Missouri City for nearly four decades, served as a planning and zoning commissioner for five years and as a council member for eight years prior to becoming mayor. He is a retired bank executive.