During the 11 months Kim Bracey spent on the campaign trail, residents told her they wanted to be involved with city government.

And York's new mayor-elect is going to take them up on that.

"Why not start at the beginning?" she said.

Bracey was elected overwhelmingly Tuesday night to be the city's next mayor. In January, she'll replace John Brenner, who said last summer that his second term would be his last.

On Wednesday, she said one of her first priorities was to put together a community advisory review team, which she hopes to have assembled by the end of the week.

"They're going to help me look at everything," she said.

The team will help Bracey, the city's former community development director, bring a "fresh eye"

York Mayor John Brenner congratulates mayor-elect Kim Bracey as she heads into Sam & Tony's to make her acceptance speech Tuesday. (DAILY RECORD / SUNDAY NEWS - KATE PENN)
to the city operations and departments and will help her determine what changes are necessary, right down to department leaders.

"I was in (the city administration), so my view might be a little skewed," she said, noting there might be areas she thinks are fine that need to be changed, and vice versa.

The formation of the team should help differentiate her administration from that of Brenner's, she said.

"I could easily go 'I know where to hang up my coat,'" she said, but she wanted others to help her thoroughly look at the city operations. "That in itself should show people that Kim is indeed different."

The election has drawn national media attention to York because Bracey will be the city's first black mayor. She said she understands the seriousness of that milestone.

"I also think and know that for York now, history will be when we have our community turned around," she said.

She's looking forward to turning the city into a place people want to live, getting young people off the streets and decreasing crime, she said.

"To me, that's going to be history," she said.

And she knows there's still a huge job ahead when it comes to racial equality and economic equality. The city's other challenges are looming, too; Brenner called her Wednesday morning to talk about the 2010 budget, she said.

On Wednesday, Bracey had breakfast with her mother, then was back in her campaign headquarters.

She took a Baltimore Sun reporter around the city, raising honks and waves from residents, accepted congratulatory flowers, which she's keeping despite allergies, and heard from residents, some she didn't even know.

Two came into her office to talk about what they want to see done in the city -- and how they'd like to help, she said.

amason@ydr.com; 771-2048

Also of interest

· Check out these updated lists of pioneering York County minorities, women. Also, York's mayors since 1887.

· Pioneers Kim Bracey, Chuck Patterson successfully vied for elected office.

· York's first mayor Daniel K. Noell named one of his sons, well, 'York.'