Frank Whitfield unseats Elyria's mayor in upset (VIDEO)

ELYRIA — The city will have its first elected Black mayor after independent Frank Whitfield upset Democratic incumbent Mayor Holly Brinda on Tuesday. A third candidate, former Mayor Bill Grace, who also ran as an independent, finished a distant third. Whitfield won 3,849 to Brinda's 3,273 or 47.7 percent to about 40.5 percent, unofficially. Grace had 953 votes, or 11.8 percent. In a city of about 54,000, around 8,000 people cast their vote on Tuesday night. With tears in his eyes, Whitfield asked if all the results were truly in, and if he was really mayor. "It's surreal," Whitfield said. "It just shows if people come together what's possible. There's no political party putting me up to this. This is just faith in God, faith in people, it just shows it's possible. I hope the city is inspired and ready to do real work, ready to transform this city." Catch up on local and county reporting/videos/photos in our Election Night Roundup A political newcomer, Whitfield, 32, had never run for political office before. He was the CEO of Lorain County Urban League before stepping down to run for mayor. Before him, Thomas Shores held the title of Elyria's first black mayor. Shores was appointed to the position for about two weeks shortly before Grace took office, making Whitfield the first elected black mayor of the city. "It just shows that people want some progress as a society," Whitfield said. "People want to get beyond race. People want to. I think this is a demonstration that people want to look beyond that and look at character, the content of work. I think Elyria's made a big first step and we're leading the charge as a city." Whitfield started with lead early on Tuesday night and never gave it up. Cheers arose from his crowd of supporters at the Bistro on Taylor Street when new results were posted. He ran much of his race on the economy and the importance of bringing the entire community together to collaborate. The economy is his "bread and butter," he once said. He made a pledge to add 2,025 jobs by 2025 if elected. Brinda was mayor for eight years, serving two terms after unseating Grace in 2011 in the Democratic primary. Brinda did not face any May primary challenger. She held fast to her record as mayor, with several manufacturing companies expanding and her oft-stated point of more than $400 million of public and private investment. But she saw some disappointments, with companies like Bendix and Riddell leaving for Avon and North Ridgeville. "I'm OK," Brinda said Tuesday night. "It's been an honor serving the people of Elyria and working with business leaders, Council. I wish the new administration the best. I think Frank worked hard. We did, too. ... We certainly left a lot on the table for them. I still live here; I'm still very invested in this city." Brinda said she reached out to Whitfield to offer her congratulations. Grace's biggest plan was to redesign Issue 6 into a 25-year, 0.5 percent income tax, instead of the current five-year, .5 percent income tax, and using the dollars to buy properties and push the city's redevelopment. "I'm glad to get on to what's next," Grace said. He appeared at Whitfield's watch party to congratulate him. Several Council members said Tuesday night that there would be a learning curve for Whitfield to learn how the city government works, but that they were looking forward to working with him. "I wish nothing of the best for Mayor Brinda," Council-at-large elect Phil Tollett said. "She's been nothing but courteous and kind to me on Council. But I also wish nothing of the best for Frank Whitfield. I'll do everything in my power to make sure he's successful." Councilwoman Donna Mitchell, who ran an uncontested race in Ward 6, told Whitfield that she looks forward to working with him and now, "we got work to do," she said. Kaleena Whitfield, Frank's wife, said that she was "super excited, super proud" of his win as mayor. Frank and Kaleena have three daughters, Octavia, Sophia and Eliza. "First step, we celebrate tonight," Whitfield said. "We gotta get through tonight. And then we begin the hard work. We can't stop engaging people, so we have to continue this process of engaging." Contact Laina Yost at (440) 329-7121 or lyost@chroniclet.com.