Alabama Elects First Asian American Mayor, Korean American Ranae Bartlett

Ranae Bartlett, 58, a Korean American, has taken office as Alabama’s first Asian American mayor after winning the Madison race in August with more than 56% of the vote. She defeated two opponents after Paul Finley, mayor for 13 years, chose not to run for a fourth term.

Bartlett began her term on November 24th, saying she hopes “more minority residents will run for elected positions.”

She was born to a U.S. Air Force father stationed at Camp Page in Chuncheon and a Korean mother. Moving to Arkansas at age four, she later graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law and worked as an in-house attorney for Walmart.

Bartlett served on the Madison Board of Education (BOE) and founded the Madison City Chess League (MCCL) in 2013, organizing international youth chess competitions to expand student participation.

Madison is located in rapidly growing Madison County, which is centered around Huntsville and adds about 10,000 residents each year, many arriving from out of state or overseas for work. Bartlett noted that Korean companies like Hyosung and LG Electronics operate manufacturing plants in the region, and Madison’s Asian American population sits near 7.5%, with Korean restaurants common throughout the city.