FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WISH) — To help Fort Wayne grow, it’s leaders need to anticipate and meet the needs of new residents regardless of their circumstances, Mayor Sharon Tucker said on Wednesday.

Tucker envisions Fort Wayne as a destination unto itself, not merely a place to stay for a while and then move on. To do this, she said the city has to appeal to people from all walks of life.

Tucker said the process began years ago with quality-of-life investments, such as the city’s minor-league baseball field, and has continued with recent projects such as new apartment developments at The Pearl and The Landing, with affordable apartments set aside at the latter.

Census data show Fort Wayne’s population has grown by 2.3 percent since 2020. Tucker wants city officials to anticipate the potential needs of those new residents.

“We need to make sure that we are planning appropriately for those who are on both scales of housing those who are able to come in and purchase housing, those who may need a little assistance, and of course, that also includes those who come to Fort Wayne that are unhoused,” Tucker said.

City officials estimate over 1,000 people in Fort Wayne are homeless.

Tucker wants to expand the availability of both affordable and market-rate housing in the city’s neighborhoods as well as in its downtown. She also wants to work more closely with nonprofits working to address homelessness in town.

Tucker has more projects planned over the next few years, from encouraging development for recreation opportunities to improving infrastructure downtown and in neighborhoods.

She wants to bring in more mixed development along the river and further encourage recreation at Promenade Park. The city recently received a $5 million gift to build a pedestrian bridge over Coliseum Boulevard, further completing its walking trails.

Tucker became the mayor of Indiana’s second-largest city in April, following the sudden death of longtime Mayor Tom Henry a month earlier.

She previously spent 10 years working in government finance, although she worked in the private sector. Tucker said her desire to serve goes back to high school.

“We were voting to elect the senior (student council) president that would represent us in our senior year, and I could not believe that I had not been involved, because I thought, you know, I like to make decisions. I like to be at the table where decisions are being made. And it was at that moment that I decided that I would never again miss an opportunity to be included in the decision-making process,” Tucker said.

Tucker is Fort Wayne’s first Black mayor and one of a record nine Black mayors across the state.

She said the election of so many Black mayors, particularly over the past year, shows voters were able to look past candidates’ skin color and judge them on their skill sets.

“When we are building communities, it’s always important to have an opportunity for everyone to have a voice at the table, whether they’re African-American women, whether they’re men, whether they’re members of the disability community,” she said. “We all bring different perspectives to conversations.”

Tucker said anyone who wants to pursue a career in public service should seek out a mentor who will tell them what they need to know, not just what they want to hear.

“Be willing to be open to listening. One of the secret sauces of success is always listening to your community,” Tucker said.