Hamden elects first black mayor

Hamden (WTNH) - Democrat Scott Jackson will serve as the first African-American mayor for the town of Hamden.

Mayor-elect Jackson ran against Ron Gambardella, who served time on the Legislative Council in Connecticut.

The polls saw a 39.4 perecent turn-out. Jackson walked away with 7,182 votes and Gambardella fell short with 6,063 votes.

As the polls neared closing in Hamden, many voters said they were excited about the possibility of a new face sitting in the top spot at town hall. 

"You get some fresh ideas, new ways of doing things," said Rodney Murden of Hamden.

That will fall on Jackson, who claimed victory not long after the polls closed at 8pm.

"Hamden has always been a progressive town. Hamden has always been a town that cared about what people brought to the table, and I'm so gratified that the people have Hamden have elected me as their next mayor," Jackson said.

Even as the results still came in, Mayor-elect Jackson was getting ready for work. He says his first priority is to balance the budget.

"It doesn't end on election day, we move forward, we move this town forward, we've got a lot of different people, with a lot of great ideas, this is the way we want to kick this thing off," Jackson said. 

The incumbent, Craig Henrici, did not run.

The final