After decisively winning his mayoral election, Plano Mayor-Elect Harry LaRosiliere said the focus of his four-year term will be economic development and the revitalization of older neighborhoods.
LaRosiliere, a former Plano councilman of six years, was elected over challenger Fred Moses on Saturday.
"The bar is high -- I realize that," LaRosiliere said. "We're right in the forefront of innovation. We're right in the forefront of bringing businesses."
LaRosiliere, who will be the city's first black mayor, said that what matters most is his effectiveness while in office.
He said the Plano's diversity is among its greatest assets.
"Plano has changed, and Plano is representative of our country," he said. "Forty-two percent of Plano is not Anglo."
LaRosiliere's family emigrated from Haiti to the United States when he was 3 years old. He moved to Plano from New York in 1994, planning to stay only three years before returning East.
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But about two decades and two children later, Plano is home, he said.
"It was an environment that allowed someone like myself to be entrepreneurial," he said.
As mayor, he looks forward to promoting his city, especially to young families now faced with a plethora of options when considering a move to Collin County.
"When they look at Plano and gives us a hard look, I'm confident this is where they'll call home," LaRosiliere said.
The mayor-elect also supported the recently approved liquor-sales measure, which passed on the May ballot.
His priorities also include keeping a high level of city services and maintain a strong relationship with the Plano Independent School District.
