As first elected mayor of Saratoga Springs, Timothy Parker has created some awfully big shoes to fill, especially after having worn them for an entire decade.

But councilwoman and mayor-elect Ludmya "Mia" Love's six-year service with the City Council is nothing to scoff at, either. It's this steady tenure, her supporters say -- not her race or gender -- that is enabling her to grab the mayoral baton and run with it.

Love's distinction-to-be as Utah's first black female mayor is an achievement, to be sure, but only if viewed as proof that neither sex nor skin color are excuses for limitation, Love said Thursday. That sort of gumption has led Love from her first political foray, battling mosquitoes with developers in her neighborhood in 2001, to her taking the reins from Parker in 2010.

Parker stepped into office in January 2000, succeeding Larry Johnson, who had served as the appointed mayor since Saratoga Springs's 1997 incorporation. His initial stewardship was roughly 650 residents, with a lone, side-of-the-road beef jerky salesman representing the town's entire commercial interest. The city offices were located in a rented house outside the city limits, with just a single employee.

Now Love, having bested opponent Jeff Francom 861-594 in Tuesday's election, will inherit a population of 18,000. Parker said he takes with him only good memories as he leaves office.

"I've loved every minute of it, and every minute that I haven't loved, I've gotten over quickly," Parker said Friday. "But my son, who has turned 15, cannot remember when I've not been mayor."

By sheer longevity Parker has had a hand in just about everything throughout Saratoga Springs, but his work with the Saratoga Springs Marina is one of which he's most proud, he said. Through "hot and heavy negotiations," the city was able to convert what was to be a 3.5-acre private marina lined with storage units into a 15-acre public park/marina on the west side of Utah Lake.

Parker "has put a lot of time and dedication into this city," Love said. "I don't want him overshadowed in all this. I respect him, and will continue to use him as a resource."

Love's six years alongside Parker will certainly ease the transition. That she could "hit the ground running without time to acclimate" was what resonated with voters, she said. Having lived in Saratoga Springs for nine years, she's witness to the sudden stagnation of residential development, once the city's sole cash cow.

Now her campaign has promised to aggressively court businesses and retailers to bring in jobs and sales tax revenue, which Parker said has been one of the chief goals of the council for some time.

The potential to pick up right where Parker left off was a draw for the budding community, as evidenced by election night, wherein Love said there was hardly a moment's delay between the last of the congratulatory e-mails and the first of the matter-of-fact, "OK, now let's get started with ..." e-mails.

"I think they see her as a model of consistency and continuity," Mia's husband Jason said. "We heard from numerous residents, 'Hey, I voted for you in the last two elections, you've still got my vote this time.'"

Parker will be on hand at regular meetings until January to help break in the city's new nucleus, including newly elected council members Jim Miller and Michael McOmber, as well as a soon-to-be appointed member to fill Love's old seat. Having watched many councils come and go in his 10 years, Parker said helping the group coalesce should be Love's No. 1 priority.

"I just hope she is better than I am at memorizing names," he joked.

Former Saratoga Springs Councilwoman Marsha Paskett, who spent four years on the council with Parker and Love, agreed that establishing the tone of the council, which is now essentially just two years deep, might be a bigger chore than most assume. Love has spent six years casting her vote with the council, but as the mayor, she'll only have a say in the event of a tie among the council. What's more, for the first time in Love's tenure, the council will likely be all male, as no women ran for a council seat. Even if everyone is relatively on the same page politically, it could take time for everyone to settle into their roles.

"Her job is entirely different," Paskett said. "You can't gauge it at all. The jobs are too distinct to be able to put your finger right on that."