She has big plans to bring the city together!
Robin Mouton is making history as the first Black woman mayor of Beaumont, Texas, 12 News Now reports.
Mouton defeated candidate Roy West in a runoff election, garnering 52% of the votes and winning her mayoral candidacy by slightly more than 600 votes. The win is a historical one, Mouton becoming the first mayor of Beaumont in 14 years and the first-ever Black woman to lead the city.
The Beaumont native left the corporate world in 2010, leaving her executive position at AT&T, where she had served for 32 years. She entered into politics first as the Councilwoman representative for Ward IV. After spending six years there, she then became Mayor Pro Team from 2016-2017.
The watch party quickly turned into a victory party, with Mouton surrounded by families and supporters when the results rolled in. During her campaign, Mouton addressed serious issues plaguing the city that she planned to address head-on, including unifying the city, handling flood concerns, and other pertinent infrastructure issues.
“I plan to unify this city. I plan to bring everyone together as much as I possibly can. It’s an exciting time for the whole entire city, and I’m so excited to be the new mayor. I really am,” said Mouton.
She also wants her constituents to know that even though she is the first Black woman mayor, a title she holds dearly, she is still the mayor of all of Beaumont, no matter the race or ethnicity. She plans to keep it that way, building rapport with the citizens as much as she can.
“I want to be accessible. I want to be available to the citizens. I want the citizens to know that they’ll be able to count on me,” Mouton said.
Congratulations, Mayor Mouton! Because of you, we can!
Photo Courtesy of Kim Brent/The Enterprise