Ivy Taylor First African-American Woman To Lead San Antonio

(AP)- SAN ANTONIO – The City Council voted to appoint Councilwoman Ivy Taylor as the next mayor of San Antonio, replacing the departing Julian Castro.

An initial vote Tuesday by the council drew some support for Councilman Ray Lopez but he then withdrew from consideration, clearing the path for Taylor to become the first African-American woman to lead the city.

The San Antonio Express-News reports the mayoral term concludes next year and Taylor has pledged not to run.

Taylor is a graduate of Yale University who was elected to the council in 2009.

The U.S. Senate earlier this month easily confirmed Castro to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development, boosting the national profile of a Democrat with a compelling biography who’s considered a vice presidential contender in 2016.

Taylor began her career working for the City of San Antonio in the Housing and Community Development Department and the Neighborhood Action Department. While at the City, she worked with a variety of neighborhood associations, developers and nonprofit organizations in order to facilitate inner city redevelopment. She also planned several of the City’s Housing Summits which provided an opportunity for community partners to exchange practical ideas on how to address our city’s housing needs. After six years, she left employment with the City of San Antonio to become a Vice President at Merced Housing Texas. At Merced, she worked to create and implement programs focused on children, education, health and financial literacy for apartment community residents. Councilwoman Taylor is a lecturer at UTSA in the Public Administration Department.