HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Voters elected Democrat Arunan Arulampalam as the new mayor of Hartford.

“We’ve got a lot on the to-do list,” Arulampalam said. “We’re going to build a team that’s just as diverse and vibrant as this city, and we’re going to get to work. We’re going to try to bring as many voices as we can into this effort and then get to work at city hall delivering on our promises — building real investment across the city, of investing in our children, including our safe spaces. We got a lot of work to do, but I’m ready.”

He vowed to build investment and bring more people to the downtown area. Part of that, he said, includes extending on current Mayor Luke Bronin’s work. Bronin announced in November that he would not seek a third term.

“I think Mayor Bronin faced a lot of challenges in this city and made a lot of sacrifices to make the kind of future investments and the kind of dreaming to make this possible,” Arulampalam said.

Five other candidates vied for mayorship: Michael McGarry and unaffiliated or independent candidates Mark Stewart Greenstein, Giselle Gigi Jacobs, Nick Lebron and J. Stan McCauley.

Hartford hasn’t had a Republican mayor in over 50 years. Arulampalam received a slew of endorsements from local and state-level Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Connecticut Rep. Julio Concepcion (D-District 4).

Arulampalam said he appreciated how his family supported him throughout his campaign.

“Kids make such sacrifices you don’t see, and it was great to see this moment with them,” he said.

Hear more from Arulampalam on his plan for Hartford in the player below.