MISSOURI CITY, Texas — Yolanda Ford defeated incumbent mayor Allen Owen in a runoff election Saturday, making her the first African American and first woman to serve as mayor of Missouri City.
Ford previously served as a member of the City Council for District A since 2013. Owen had held the position of mayor since 1994. Ford will take the oath of office on Dec. 17.
“I am so proud that the residents of Missouri City have elected me as their mayor,” Ford said. “After having served on the city council for the past five years, and as a lifelong resident, I am deeply invested in the well-being and growth of Missouri City, and I look forward to working with citizens, the city council and others toward its betterment,” Ford said.
Ford was only the fourth woman in the history of Missouri City to be elected to a city council position. She ran a grassroots mayoral campaign based on issues such as increasing city revenue, building economic opportunity, creating redevelopment incentives, promoting community safety and addressing aging infrastructure.
Ford is a native of Missouri City who attended Fort Bend public schools and graduated from Dulles High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from the University of Houston and a Master of Architecture (M.ARCH) degree from Prairie View A&M University.