By Drew Teague and Becca Clemons

Lexington now has a new mayor running the city.

Jim Gray defeated incumbent mayor Jim Newberry in a clear- cut victory Tuesday night.

At 7 p.m. Newberry came on the stage at his campaign headquarters at the Lexington Center and spoke to the gathered crowd to concede the mayoral race to Gray.

“The people voted and the city lost big,” Newberry said.

He said his campaign did not have the funding to compete with Gray’s.

With a full stage of staff members, family and friends, Gray’s treasurer Linda Breathitt introduced the next mayor to the crowd at Busters Billiards and Backroom on Manchester Road.

“It is a wonderful night for Lexington and the state,” Breathitt said.

As Gray began, he seemed to be shocked by the turnout of the crowd cheering him on and the quickness of the returns. He let the citizens of Lexington know he will begin in the morning.

“Wow,” Gray said. “Your fresh start begins tomorrow.”

With the election over, Gray is looking forward to his role as the next mayor.

“Now that the election is over we’ve all got to work together to make Lexington a better place,” Gray said.  “I would like all of our citizens to roll up their sleeves and join me in making tomorrow brighter.”

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Gray went on to let citizens know he will hold true to his campaign promises.

“Now while I can’t wave a magic wand, I promise you I will listen carefully and my commitment is to work hard every day to improve this city,” Gray said. “I am ready to work for you.”

Gray said that while he has a plan for the city, he is letting his constituents know that his plan is flexible.

“Our plan for putting Lexington back in business is like a roadmap,” Gray said. “Like any good plan, it’s not etched in stone.”

Gray said that the city will be heading in a better direction under his guide.

“We are at a crossroads,” Gray said. “Yes, these times are tough, but the human spirit we know triumphs during times of adversity.”

Gray also addressed  overcoming adversity to better Lexington and lower the unemployment of the city.

“We can take advantage of this economic cycle, plan better, more imaginatively,” Gray said. “We can get those out of work back to work.”

In Newberry’s concession speech, he discussed the creation of jobs and improvements to the community brought on by his administration, including parks and renovation of South Limestone.

“As a result of the work we did together, Lexington is on the move,” Newberry said.

Newberry’s supporters saw the World Equestrian Games as a success during his term, and Newberry said he was confident the games were hosted in a way the community and the world will remember.