Mansfield elects first African-American mayor

By Amanda Rogers

Mansfield Record

Mansfield made history Tuesday night, electing the city’s first African-American mayor.

Michael Evans, 54, a local preacher and former president of the Mansfield ISD  school board, received 53.84 percent of the vote in the run-off election over local banker and current City Council member Brent Newsom, 49, who received 46.16 percent.

Evans will be the second African-American to serve on the Mansfield City Council. McClendon “Mac” Moody was elected to three terms, serving from 1981-1990 and then completing another council member’s unfinished term from February 1998 to May 1999. Moody died in 2018.

Tamera Bounds, 61, won the run-off for City Council Place 2, earning 53.92 percent of the vote over Scot Bowman, 46, who received 46.08 percent of the vote. Bounds, who is in the medical field, will complete Newsom’s unfinished term.

Voters also chose to keep Courtney Lackey Wilson, 50, for another three-year term at Mansfield ISD Place 7 seat. Wilson, who works for a neighboring school district, earned 52.90 percent of the vote in a run-off with Yolanda McPherson, 57, a retired educator, who received 46.82 percent of the vote.

Election results are unofficial until they are canvassed next week.

Mansfield’s new mayor and council member will be sworn in Jan. 11 at the City Council meeting. Wilson will be sworn in at the Dec. 15 Mansfield ISD school board meeting.

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