BTN STAFF
Congratulations are in order for Jaylen Smith! Recently the 18-year-old made history by Jaylen becoming the youngest Black person to be elected mayor of a city. He is now the mayor of Earle, a small city in Arkansas with a population of 1,785. Smith defeated Nemi Matthews, the city’s street and sanitation superintendent in a 235-183 vote.
Although Smith still lives with his parents and is only one year removed from graduating high school, it didn’t discourage him from running from office. “You have to start somewhere, you really do,” Smith told Washington Post. “I didn’t want to be 30 or 40 and become a mayor when I could be one right now.”
Smith said some of his initial goals when he gets in the office are to ridding Earle of abandoned homes, create jobs for city youth, and provide transportation for the elderly.
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