Karen Freeman-Wilson has been elected the first woman mayor of Gary, Ind. (Credit: CBS)
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GARY, Ind. (CBS) — Voters in Gary have elected their first woman mayor.
As WBBM Newsradio’s Lisa Fielding reports, former Indiana Attorney General Karen Freeman-Wilson, a Democrat, easily defeated her three challengers – Republican Charles S. Smith Jr., independent candidate LaVetta Sparks-Wade, and Unicratic Party candidate Eddie Tarver.
LISTEN: WBBM Newsradio’s Lisa Fielding reports
Preliminary election results showed Freeman-Wilson trouncing her opponents with 86 percent of the vote. And despite being a major-party candidate, Smith apparently got fewer votes than Sparks-Wade or Tarver.
Gary has not elected a Republican mayor since 1938, and thus, Freeman-Wilson was widely expected to win.
Before the election Tuesday, only 11 of the 119 cities in Indiana had female mayors. Freeman-Wilson will also become the first African-American woman mayor anywhere in Indiana.
Freeman-Wilson’s election came on her third try for the office. She also ran for Gary mayor in 2003 and 2007.
