Jaylen Smith was elected the mayor of Earle, Ark., on Tuesday night, becoming the youngest Black mayor in the United States.
Smith, 18, defeated Nemi Matthews Sr. in a runoff election. Smith had 218 votes, compared to Matthews’ 139, according to election results.
Smith announced his win in a Facebook post, saying ““It’s Time To Build A Better Chapter of Earle, Arkansas.”
Matthews is the superintendent of Earle with more than four decades of experience working in the small Arkansas town, which has a population of under 2,000 people and is situated about 30 miles northwest of Memphis. In an interview with FOX13 last month, Smith, who recently graduated from high school, talked about his goals if he was elected the mayor of Earle.
“First, I want to improve public safety here. Secondly, tear down abandoned houses … transportation here for the community, bring a grocery store here,” he said.
Smith thanked his supporters for their efforts. He graduated high school in May 2022.
He promises to improve public safety in the small town near Memphis. Smith also wants to tear down abandoned houses and open up a grocery store.
Nemi Matthews, who lost the race against Smith, congratulated him and wished him well.
Roughly 1,800 people live in Earle, according to 2020 census data.
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