On the first day of 2023, Jaylen Smith will be sworn in as mayor of the town of Earle, Arkansas. Smith’s swearing-in will mark a historic first: At the ripe old age of 18, Smith won’t just add to the small number of teenage mayors elected across the U.S.; he will also be the youngest Black mayor in the country’s history.
Earle, a majority-Black city outside of Memphis, has just under 2,000 people and no grocery store. Smith, who beat his opponent 235 votes to 183 in a campaign he started while still in high school, has promised to focus on transportation, public safety, and opening a grocery store in the city. (Smith identifies as a Democrat, but the mayoral race was nonpartisan.) His much older opponent, Nemi Matthews Sr., Earle’s street and sanitation superintendent, has said their two families knew each other and that “everything has been cordial.”
But though he’ll be a busy community leader, he’ll also have to be a student: Smith recently graduated from Earle High School, in a class of 43 students, and now attends the Arkansas State University Mid-South in West Memphis.
To find out what it’s like to seek out such a position at such a young age, Slate spoke with Smith earlier in December. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Slate: What’s Earle like?
Smith: Earle is a town surrounded by a lot of farmland—cotton and beans. And Earle is more of a family town, where we come together and provide for families that are short [on cash] and don’t have anything on Christmas.
Do you remember the moment when you first thought about running for mayor?
It started in sixth or seventh grade. I wanted to be mayor regardless, but I didn’t know what timeframe I wanted to do it in. Then I prayed, and God told me to do it now.
Early on my senior year, I told my godmom I wanted to run for mayor. She said go for it. And I went for it, even though some people thought I shouldn’t. They thought I should run for city council first. But I continued to pursue what God wanted me to do.
What made you want to do it?
It all started in high school with the Student Government Association. We were so passionate about advocating for students to get better opportunities. We also made a difference in the community by advocating for senior citizens who don’t have transportation to the grocery store or to the doctor. We went to the city council meetings, and we advocated for public safety, public transportation, and better housing within the community. And that organization drove me to where I am today.
Most teenagers who do student government don’t decide to run for mayor when they’re still in high school. What’s different about you?
I’m a different type of 18-year-old. When I was in high school, I started wearing suits to school, because I knew if I wanted to get somewhere, I had to dress like I wanted to go somewhere.
What did people say when you told them you were running?
They weren’t surprised. They said, “We need somebody young. We think you should go for it.” We’d had older people in office for so long. The people wanted a young guy to bring more ideas to the table. Young people really want to see more jobs, public safety, a grocery store, and new housing. Basically a better quality of life.
What was your campaign like?
I did community walks, bike rides, community clean-ups, gave away food; things like that. I was going door-to-door, and I had my entire class [campaigning for me]. And the class before my class, and the class before that class. I had middle-aged and old people campaigning for me, too. But the young people won the campaign for me.
How did you decide on the issues you were going to prioritize?
Well, I knew issues like public safety weren’t getting any better. I’m looking at all the avenues, like grant funding, that I can get to make sure we have the best policy to hire more officers. And beautifying the city. Building new houses. Transportation, [getting a] grocery store.
Public safety is very personal to me, because in 2016, my cousin was killed, and my house was robbed. And no one was on duty. It was so crazy, and it’s still happening today. People’s houses are getting broken into, people are burning down houses, people are stealing here and there, and we need that public safety. Not only 24 hours a day, but seven days a week.
Is there anything specifically that you feel like you’re going to do for young people?
Give them jobs, and give them more activities and opportunities within the city. Like basketball courts—I want to bring people in to invest in that.
What was the difference between your campaign and your opponent’s?
We were talking about the same things, but it was in a different way. But in my campaign, I out-worked my opponent. Everything I said I was going to do, we’re working to put it in place. Come January 2, we’re working to implement a new direction for the city. We’re partnering with churches and businesses to keep our town clean. You know, we live in a small rural town, so we can’t get a lot of opportunities like bigger cities. But we can try. We know that we can get a grocery store. We know we can do it.
Why do you think you ultimately won?
Because I’m young, and I have fresh ideas. And I’m passionate, and I was driven and dedicated to getting things done.
How did you feel when you learned you had won?
I was excited and blessed and grateful. I haven’t celebrated yet. I haven’t had a chance yet because I’m being pulled in every direction. I’ll celebrate sometime in January after I get sworn in. Like a big dinner, a little dancing, a speech, and some reflection.
Are people calling you Mr. Mayor? How do you feel about that?
It feels good. When I was in high school, they were calling me Mr. President.
What have you been doing since the election?
I’ve been doing a lot of interviews. I just got back from Los Angeles for the Jennifer Hudson show. Everything in my life has changed. I can’t go anywhere by myself anymore. I’m being cautious. I have to watch where I’m going, watch my surroundings even more closely. I’m always worried about safety, but now I’m going to different places and speaking all around the country. You blow up, and now all of a sudden you have people coming up to you, taking pictures, and you never really know what they’re up to. You never know what people will do.
How are you going to balance being mayor with going to college?
I’ll be doing school online. I’ll do mayor duties during the day, and I’ll do my college work when I get home.
What will the next stage be for you, after this?
As I get down the road, I’m going to run for president one day. State senator, state representative, U.S. Congress. Wherever the Lord directs me and guides me through, that’s what I’m going to be.
