Hampton Makes History With Election of Liberian-American Mayor



HamptonHampton mayor-elect Paye Flomo, left,
and Mayor Tim Skog, right, during a public hearing
at city hall in Hampton, Minn. Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008..

Hampton is a quiet rural outpost, with the usual trappings of small-town life — a few bars, hair salons, a bank, a church and a post office. Most of the city's 750 or so residents have grown up there. The unassuming community is perhaps best known for its water tower — a red and silver structure that dates back to the early 1900s.

Hampton now has a new claim to fame. On Nov. 4, residents of this mostly white community elected what is believed to be the country's first Liberian-American mayor. Paye Flomo is also Dakota County's first black mayor, according to the local historical society.

But Flomo said he was never after the distinction and prefers to keep a low profile.
"I'm proud of where I'm from ... my native country," said Flomo, 49, who came to St. Paul from the West African country in 1985. "But I didn't run for the title. I ran to continue serving the community."

He has served on Hampton's city council since 2003.
Since his mayoral win he has received several congratulatory telephone calls from leaders in the state's Liberian community, which is believed to one of largest in the United States. Locals, too, are pleased with their choice.

"We've now got our first black president ... and black mayor," Paul Tix, 87, said from his perch at Lucky's Roundup Bar on Main Street.