John Ewing made history by becoming the first Black mayor of Omaha, a city in Nebraska State, US, defeating his counterpart, Jean Stothert, the city’s first female mayor, in the recent elections. He will be sworn in on June 9.With these elections, incumbent Mayor Stothert has ended her 12-year tenure. Ewing was a former deputy chief in the Omaha police department for almost 25 years and has been the Douglas County Treasurer for 17 years. He promised to build a better future for the people of Omaha and fulfil all those promises that the previous mayor neglected. As John Ewing took a lead of around 5,000 votes, Jean Stothert conceded the race and called to congratulate him.
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“I called John Ewing and I congratulated him,” Stothert said at her election night event. “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’s campaign focused on issues such as fixing potholes, hiring more police officers and ensuring affordable housing to all. He argued that after three terms, Stothert’s leadership had grown stale and that Omaha needed new energy and priorities.“People just feel like she’s had her time, and it’s time for somebody new,” Ewing said during the campaign.Although the position of mayor in Omaha is nonpartisan—that is, candidates don’t run with official party labels—the race became more political in its final weeks. Stothert, a Republican, accused Ewing of supporting liberal causes that might not appeal to his conservative supporters. Ewing, a Democrat, responded by linking her leadership to Donald Trump’s that was based on divisive politics. Despite the political conflicts, the race was largely driven by local issues. Ewing’s victory signals not just a potential shift in leadership, but a moment of cultural change in Nebraska’s largest city—home to nearly a quarter of the state’s population.
