TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WISH) — Mayor Brandon Sakbun on Wednesday said for him, part of his job is inspiring the next generation.

The son of Jamaican and Cambodian immigrants, Sakbun made history last year when he became Terre Haute’s first Black mayor and its first Asian mayor. He’s now one of a record nine Black mayors in the state of Indiana. Sakbun told News 8 his parents’ experience making a new life for themselves in the United States inspired him to serve in the armed forces and later seek public office.

Sakbun was commissioned into the U.S. Army in 2018. He served a tour of duty in Afghanistan with the Army’s elite 75th Ranger Regiment. He said perhaps the biggest way in which his military service influenced him was the way it brought people from diverse backgrounds together to work toward a common goal.

“There is one focus, and that’s serving the great nation of the United States,” the Democrat mayor said. “And I think that’s a great environment because you have people from all different backgrounds, big cities, small cities, different ethnic backgrounds working together to accomplish a goal.”

Sakbun has been busy in his first year in office. He secured Environmental Protection Agency funding to clean up asbestos-contaminated debris at the former Columbian Enameling site. Several housing developments have broken ground for both renters and owners, particularly on the north side of town. The city has launched a new sidewalk repair program and relaunched its street repaving program. He said he’s also been working to recruit new employers as well as keep existing companies in town.

“You should be able to graduate our schools and have a livable wage right here in Terre Haute, Indiana, and that’s one of the pillars of what we’re trying to do,” he said.

Sakbun said it’s critical to get people into public office from as many different backgrounds as possible because they bring different perspectives to policymaking. Besides more people of color, he said he especially wants to see more veterans and more people from the skilled trades get into politics. He said it’s as much about fulfilling the dreams of one’s forefathers as it is getting results for today’s generation.

“It shows all the kids, all the folks across the Hoosier State that, no matter what your background is, you, too, have a place in politics,” he said. “I want younger kids to say I can go off and join the military, or I can go off and I can be a mayor, or I can serve in the Statehouse.”