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American politician
Jaylen Smith is an American politician who is the
mayor of
Earle, Arkansas . At age 18, he became one of the youngest mayors ever elected in the United States.
[1]
[2]
Early life and education
Smith graduated from
Earle High School in May 2022.
[3]
[4]
[5]
[2]
Career
In 2022, running as a
Democratic Party candidate, Smith won the election to be the mayor of
Earle, Arkansas .
[4] He won 235 votes, beating his rival candidate Nemi Matthews, who received 185 votes.
[3] He was sworn into office on January 3, 2023.
[6] His victory made him the youngest black mayor in US history.
[4]
[7] This also made him one of the youngest mayors of any race in the United States.
[8]
Smith's mayoral priorities include improving
public safety and
transportation ,
beautification and
renewal of underused housing,
emergency preparedness ,
[5] and addressing the
food desert in Earle.
[9]
[10] In preparation for his time in public office, Smith was given guidance by
Frank Scott Jr. , the mayor of
Little Rock, Arkansas .
[3]
Smith joined
President Clinton on stage and was a featured speaker at the 2023
Clinton Global Initiative University Meeting at
Vanderbilt University .
[11]
[12]
In April 2023, Smith met with
Vice President
Kamala Harris .
[13]
Awards and honors
Smith received the President’s Award of the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus at the organization's 2023 King Kennedy Awards.
[14]
Electoral history
2022 Earle mayoral election
[4]
Candidate
Votes
%
Jaylen Smith
235
55.95
Nemi Matthews
185
44.05
Total votes
420
100.00
See also
References
^
"18-Year-Old College Student Elected Mayor of Arkansas City" .
US News .
Associated Press . December 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2023 .
^
a
b Rojas, Rick (January 10, 2023).
"An Ailing Arkansas City Elected an 18-Year-Old Mayor to Turn Things Around" .
The New York Times . Retrieved February 7, 2024 .
^
a
b
c Mizelle, Shawna (December 7, 2022).
"Arkansas city elects 18-year-old to be next mayor" . CNN . Retrieved December 7, 2022 .
^
a
b
c
d Matza, Max (December 8, 2022).
"Jaylen Smith: Arkansas elects youngest black mayor in US" . BBC News . Retrieved December 8, 2022 .
^
a
b
" 'A better chapter': 18-year-old man elected mayor of Arkansas town" . Reuters. December 7, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2024 .
^ Hunterg, Marcus (January 1, 2022).
"Jaylen Smith, country's youngest black mayor, sworn in" . WREG. Retrieved January 6, 2022 .
^ Hills, Sophie (February 14, 2023).
"Why one Arkansas town has pinned its hopes on a teen mayor" .
Christian Science Monitor .
^ Daniels, Cheyanne M. (December 7, 2022).
"Arkansas town elects youngest Black mayor in US" .
The Hill . Retrieved February 7, 2024 .
^
"Meet the 18-year-old running for mayor" .
WKRC-TV . December 3, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2024 .
^ Hale-Shelton, Debra (December 7, 2022).
"18-year-old elected mayor of Earle" .
Arkansas Times . Retrieved February 7, 2024 .
^
"President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton to Convene Student Leaders to Drive Action at the 2023 CGI University Meeting at Vanderbilt University March 3-5" .
Clinton Foundation . February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 7, 2024 .
^
President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton convene student leaders to drive action at 2023 CGI University meeting at Vanderbilt March 3–5 MyVU , February 27, 2023
^
Kamala Harris [@VP] (April 30, 2023).
"Last week, I had a chance to speak with Jaylen Smith, the youngest Black mayor in our nation's history at 18 years old. I am inspired every day by young leaders like Mayor Smith. They are our future – and they will shape our nation with their hope and determination" (
Tweet ) – via
Twitter .
^
2023 King Kennedy Awards Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus