Gonzales voters elect first Black mayor [Video]

GONZALES — City voters elected their first Black mayor, Timothy “Tim” Riley, on Saturday. Voters in the parish also approved a change in its home rule charter to let the parish council pick an administrative secretary, rather than the parish president.

Riley and Kemlyn Bailey Lomas advanced to a runoff from the Nov. 5 primary. Riley won 1,277 votes and Lomas won 1,107. 

Lomas had said before the election that she wanted to focus on community engagement, while Riley said he’d concentrate on public safety. Riley has served as a councilman. 

“I want to make sure that they know that their mayor is working for them everyday to make sure public safety is a priority. Tim Riley is a mayor for everybody. I care about the city of Gonzales, I care about the people. The people are always going to have accessibility to me. Just like they had when I was a city councilman,” he said.

The race for Gonzales …