TAMPA, Fla. – After a lengthy campaign involving outlasting multiple other candidates during a special election, even before Tuesday’s runoff, Naya Young has emerged as the winner over Thomas Scott.
Young will now join the Tampa City Council as the District 5 representative, to fill out the term of the late Gwen Henderson, who died in June.
In a somewhat surprising win, the political novice Young, 33, rode her activist platform to convince voters of District 5, which stretches across downtown Tampa, Channelside, Ybor City, East Tampa and parts of West Tampa.
Young’s connection to Tampa runs deep. As a teenager, she was a volunteer on the Tampa Green Artery, a pedestrian and bike-friendly trail that encourages outdoor activity and links neighborhoods throughout the city.
She said she is focused on ensuring the communities she grew up in aren’t left behind by the city’s rapid growth.
Young, 33, is a graduate of Howard University and currently serves as executive director of the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association, where she leads youth and family-focused programming.