Mboka Mwilambwe
Photograph of Mboka Mwilambwe speaking into a microphone
Mboka Mwilambwe in 2023
Mayor of Bloomington, Illinois
Assumed office
May 1, 2021
Preceded byTari Renner
Bloomington City Council
In office
2011–2021
Personal details
Born1970 or 1971 (age 52–53)[1]
Democratic Republic of the Congo
SpouseStacey Mwilambwe
EducationB.S., M.S. Illinois State University

Mboka Mwilambwe (born 1970–1971) is an American politician who was elected in 2021 as the first African American mayor of Bloomington, Illinois.

Biography

Mwilambwe was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,[2] one of seven children.[3] His father worked for Unicef and Mwilambwe lived in various countries as a youth with stays in Senegal, Ivory Coast, and the Republic of the Congo.[2] In 1990, he moved to central Illinois to attend Illinois State University earning a B.S. in mathematics in 1994 and a M.S. in education in 1996.[2] After school, he accepted a position as the assistant director of the Office of Equal Access and Opportunity at Illinois State University.[2] In 2008, he became a U.S. Citizen.[2] In 2011, he was appointed by then-mayor Steve Stockton to fill a vacancy in Ward 3 on the Bloomington City Council.[4] He was re-elected to a full four-year term on the City Council in 2013 and 2017.[4] Since 2019, he has served as mayor pro tem.[1]

In 2021, he ran for mayor against Mike Straza, Jackie Gunderson, and write-in candidate Misty Metroz.[1] On April 6, 2021, he very narrowly won the election succeeding Tari Renner, who did not seek a third term as mayor.[5][6] He was sworn in on May 1, 2021[5] becoming Bloomington's first African-American mayor since its founding in 1830.[7] (In 2019, Bloomington was 73.0% white, 10.2% Black, 8.0% Asian, 6.1% Latino, and 2.2% multi-racial).[8] Top items on his agenda include an emphasis on infrastructure, improving financial efficiency,[9] and facilitating an atmosphere where people can debate in a civil manner.[2]

In 2021, he helped to secure the opening of a $214 million manufacturing plant by Italian candymaker Ferrero SpA which is expected to add 200 jobs, launched a $20 million expansion of the Bloomington Public Library, secured the construction of an Aldi store on the west side and a new YMCA on the east side, and accelerated sewer expansion and replacement after record rain.[10][11] In October 2022, he merged the operations of the Grossinger Motors Arena and the Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts to help stem continuing losses.[12] In April 2023, he testified before the Illinois House Cities and Villages Committee to restore the state income tax revenue sharing program with local municipalities (known as the Local Government Distributive Fund) to the prior level of 10.0% from the current 6.16%.[13] In May 2023, Mwilambwe was named by Governor J. B. Pritzker to serve on the Illinois Workforce Innovation Board.[14]

Personal life

Mwilambwe is married to fellow Illinois State University graduate Stacey Mwilambwe (B.S. ’94, M.S. ’96) who is the director of University Housing Services.[2] He speaks French, Swahili and Lingala.[15]

Electoral History

2021 Bloomington Illinois Mayoral Election[16]
Candidate Votes % ±
Mboka Mwilambwe 4,487 38.72 N/A
Mike Straza 4,279 36.92 N/A
Jackie Gunderson 2,798 24.14 N/A
Write-in 25 0.22% -0.1
Total votes 11,589 100.0% N/A

References

  1. ^ a b c Eggert, Timothy (April 7, 2021). "Mboka Mwilambwe emerges in 3-way Bloomington mayor race". The Pantagraph. If the lead holds, Mwilambwe, 50, will become the city's first Black mayor.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Erickson, Nick (June 16, 2021). "Dual alum and staff member Mboka Mwilambwe leads as Bloomington's first Black mayor Nick Erickson". Illinois State University News.
  3. ^ Denham, Ryan (February 16, 2023). "Video: Pritzker gives Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe a shoutout during State of the State speech". WGLT.
  4. ^ a b Stock, Eric (October 7, 2021). "Mayor Mwilambwe delays the city council selection over disagreement on his preferred choice". WGLT.
  5. ^ a b Nardi, Sarah (May 1, 2021). "At Swearing In, Bloomington Mayor Mwilambwe Vows to Tackle Divisions". WGLT.
  6. ^ Denham, Ryan (April 26, 2021). "Mwilambwe Comes Out On Top In 3-Way Bloomington Mayoral Race". WGLT.
  7. ^ Schick, Austin (April 13, 2021). "Mboka Mwilambwe to be sworn in as Bloominton's first Black mayor May 3". WMBD-TV Central Illinois Proud.
  8. ^ "B03002 HISPANIC OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE - Bloomington - 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. July 1, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  9. ^ Eggert, Timothy (March 28, 2021). "Watch now: Council experience, emphasis on core services atop Mwilambwe's Bloomington mayoral run". The Pantagraph.
  10. ^ Steinbacher, Michele (May 15, 2023). "Bloomington mayor says city's future is bright, despite 2021's ups and downs". WGLT.
  11. ^ "Ferrero breaks ground on $214 million Kinder Bueno production facility in Bloomington". WJBC. November 2, 2022.
  12. ^ Stock, Eric (October 19, 2022). "Mayor Mwilambwe: No promises about financial turnaround from arena management shift". WGLT.
  13. ^ Stock, Eric (April 19, 2023). "Mwilambwe testifies before Illinois House committee on state tax sharing". WGLT.
  14. ^ "Gov. Pritzker Announces Four Appointments to Boards and Commissions Press Release". illinois.gov. May 15, 2023.
  15. ^ "History-making Bloomington mayor is next guest in 'Meet the Mayor' virtual series". Southern Illinois University News. September 28, 2021.
  16. ^ Election Night Reporting (Report). April 20, 2021.
Categories