IOWA – An American Muslim woman of Sudanese origin was elected Tuesday as a member of the Iowa at-large city council, becoming the city’s first Sudanese-American immigrant councilor.
“I can’t believe it. I have been nervous all day, and it’s been a lot of hard work,” Mazahir Salih said while she was celebrating at The Mill in downtown Iowa City, Iowa City Press Citizen reported.
Salih won 77 percent of the election, securing 5,573 votes. She credited her victory to broad support throughout the community from people of all socioeconomic levels.
Throughout her campaign, Salih promised to bring underrepresented community members to the table to discuss city issues.
Assuming responsibilities of her new role, Salih said she will continue to work on affordable housing initiatives and fighting for “a fair, livable wage.”
Sikh Mayor
In New Jersey, the city of Hoboken elected its first Sikh mayor on Tuesday, Voice of America reported.
Democrat Ravi Bhalla, who has served on Hoboken’s city council for eight years and was endorsed by outgoing mayor Dawn Zimmer, claimed victory over five rival candidates late Tuesday night.
“Thank you Hoboken. I look forward to being your Mayor! #TeamBhalla #FinishedStrong,” he posted on Twitter.
Days before the election, flyers were distributed throughout the city with Bhalla’s face under a bold red heading of “Don’t let TERRORISM take over our town!”
“I’ve seen a lot of the great things we’ve done in Hoboken,” Bhalla said.
“So when the mayor asked me to run for mayor…I felt like it was important to try to continue that forward movement.”