By Basit Jamiu
Jaylen Smith was announced as the next mayor of Earle, a city in Arkansas on Thursday after getting a total of 235 votes. His opponent, Nemi Mathews, trailed at a distance with 185 votes.
His win made him the youngest black mayor in the United State. He is also, at the age of 18, among the youngest mayors ever elected across all races in US history.
Born in 2004, Smith had demonstrated a strong interest in politics from a young age.
Before he graduated from Earle High School in May, he was the student leader. He revealed that his time as student leader gave him the experience and the confidence to run for the office.
“It’s just in him. You know, the way he walks, he talks, he dresses. You know, it’s just in him to lead,” Cymone Poole, a Public worker who supported Smith had said.
The new mayor of Earle said he had observed that people yearned for change in leadership. He said that people aspire to a new dynamic in how things are done, which is why he volunteered to create change.
“People are crying out for change, and I want to be the change to move Earle forward. I didn’t run for this office to make a name for myself. I ran because I wanted to help my community and move my community in the direction that it needed to be moved in,” Smith said.
His campaign promises include improved public safety. He also vowed to expand business opportunities in Earle, a small town of not more than 1900 people.
“I’m excited for Jaylen and the entire community in Earle as he becomes the youngest-ever African American mayor elected in the country. I’m proud of his willingness to enter into public service at such a young age and his aspirational goals for the City,” Frank Scott, the president of African American Mayors Association, told CNN on Thursday.
Smith, the young democrat, is currently a student at Arkansas State University and he will succeed a long-term mayor of Earle, Carolyn Jones. He will officially join the pool of Mayors in the first week of January next year.
