Montgomery County Probate Judge Steven Reed is now the first black mayor of the Alabama capital city.
Reed was elected in a Tuesday runoff election against TV station owner David Woods, perAL.com, with current numbers putting Reed at 67 percent of the vote against Woods' 33 percent.
"The vision we have for people far beyond this room," Reed told supporters at a celebration rally. "Some of the people who could not be here. But it encompasses and it connects all of them. And that’s what we have been saying and that’s what we want to make sure we continue tomorrow, and the next day and the next day."
Reed, who previously made history as the county's first black probate judge in 2012 and in 2015 became the first Alabama probate judge to issue same sex marriage licenses, will be sworn into office Nov. 12.
In his concession comments, Woods called Montgomery "a special place populated by special people" and looked forward to supporting Reed in the years ahead. "A unified Montgomery is a lot stronger than a divided Montgomery," Woods said, perThe Montgomery Advertiser.
Reed replaces Todd Strange, who was mayor since 2009 but did not seek reelection this go-around.
