NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) – Mitch Landrieu was elected mayor of New Orleans on Saturday, the first time in over 30 years that voters of this majority-black city have chosen a white candidate.

Landrieu, a Democrat and Louisiana’s lieutenant governor, won more than 50 percent of the vote, defeating a field of 10 other competitors and avoiding a run-off election. Democrat Troy Henry, a black businessman, came in second.

Landrieu, 49, the son of New Orleans’ last white mayor, Moon Landrieu, rode a wave of discontent over the slow pace of the city’s recovery from Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and rampant crime. In his victory speech, Landrieu said his election showed that voters wanted a city that was ‘’unified rather than divided.’’

About two-thirds of New Orleans’ population is black and Landrieu was helped by his father’s legacy of desegregating the city. Moon Landrieu left office in 1978.