Meet Jaylon Smith, First and Youngest Black Elected Mayor in the US

History has been made in a small town in rural Arkansas. 18-year-old Jaylen Smith has just been elected as the new mayor of his hometown of Earle. This development makes Smith the youngest Black mayor in the entire country, fresh out of high school. The news is obviously big for the town but has exploded out of the confines of the small city and taken to the web. People cannot get enough of the motivated and already successful young man that looks to make a difference in his city.

Smith is a registered Democrat who overwhelmingly defeated his opponent, Nemi Matthews. Matthews has a strong reputation as the town’s street and sanitation superintendent. The votes were a landslide at 235 versus 185 per the unofficial results given from the Crittenden County Clerk’s office. Smith found a true passion in making a change when he participated in his student government’s association at school. It was then that he felt it was his duty to serve the community he has grown up in on a much grander scale.

“I ran because I wanted to help my community and move my community in the direction that it needed to be moved in.” – Jaylen Smith

Jaylen is more than thrilled to break ground on recycling the city’s abandoned homes. He is hoping to apply changes to the police department, including a 24-hour open time. In the pandemic, he has seen a need to create transportation in regard to grocery stores. A set goal for Smith is to also manufacture jobs for the youths in his area to eliminate any wandering of ‘What is next?’. You may tune in to him being sworn into office come January 2023.