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Youngest U.S. Black mayor elected in Arkansas
Jaylen Smith, 18, defeated Nemi Matthews Sr. in a runoff election Tuesday night.
www.fox13memphis.com
By FOX13Memphis.com News Staff December 06, 2022 at 9:49 pm CST
EARLE, Ark. — 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.
Much of luck to that young man
