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Paul Young elected mayor of Memphis

Downtown Memphis along the banks of the Mississippi River is shown. / Getty Images
Downtown Memphis along the banks of the Mississippi River is shown. / Getty Images Downtown Memphis along the banks of the Mississippi River is shown. / Getty Images

By Anita Wadhwani / Tennessee Lookout 2 min read

Paul Young, a longtime fixture in local government in his first-time bid for political office, has become the 65th mayor of Memphis.

Young, 43, is a Memphis native who spearheaded urban growth and development as leader of the Downtown Memphis Commission, served as president of the city’s housing and community development agency and worked as a Shelby County lobbyist.

(READ MORE: Tennessee US Rep. Fleishmann backs Majority Leader Scalise for House speaker)

He emerged as victor in a crowded race of 17, defeating front-runners Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner, former Mayor Willie Herenton and Van Turner, a Shelby County commissioner and local NAACP chapter president. Incumbent Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland, elected in 2016, was term-limited out of the race.

Young pledged to bring jobs and economic development to Memphis. He also set a priority of restoring trust between residents and the Memphis police while investing more in the city’s youth.