Svante Myrick is mayor-elect of Ithaca, New York

Ithaca, New York

The city of Ithaca, is a city in upstate New York and the county seat of Tompkins County, as well as the largest community in the Ithaca-Tompkins County metropolitan area...

, the county seat of Tompkins County and host city to Cornell University

Cornell University

Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...

. Myrick is a member of the Democratic Party. In September 2011, he won a hotly contested primary election for the Democratic Party nomination for Mayor of the City of Ithaca. On November 8, 2011 he won the general election with 54.9% of the electorate, defeating three other candidates (two independents and one Republican). In January 2012 he will become the city’s youngest mayor and its first Mayor of African-American heritage to hold the office. Myrick was born and raised in the small town of Earlville, New York

Earlville, New York

Earlville is a village in New York, United States. The population was 791 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Jonas Earl, a canal commissioner....

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First elected at the age of 20, to the office of Alderperson upon Ithaca’s Common Council, Myrick was one of the youngest elected African-Americans in United States History.
At the age of 24, Myrick is one of the youngest mayors in the United States history and one of the few to be popularly-elected by city-wide vote.

Life and Education

Myrick is the 3rd of four children, raised in Earlville, New York by his single mother and Grandparents. Myrick credits his upbringing in the small community of Earlville. He attended public schools and graduated from Sherburne-Earlville High School in 2005.
Myrick attended Cornell University. While there, he studied communication and was a leader of the Interfraternity Council and Quill and Dagger

Quill and Dagger

Quill and Dagger is a senior honor society at Cornell University. It is often recognized as one of the most prominent collegiate societies of its type, along with Skull and Bones of Yale University...

 society. Myrick has stated that while at Cornell, his objective was not to enter politics. However, he was called into city service though his community involvement and volunteer activity while a student; including the REACH program. He has stated that he would have been unable to attended Cornell had it not been for generous educational loans and grant support. Myrick graduated in 2009.
In his spare time, Svante enjoys speaking to youth groups around the state about achievement, civic engagement and community building. He is also an avid reader, and sports enthusiast who follows the New York Giants

New York Giants

The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

, Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

 and (with no small amount of exasperation) the New York Knicks

New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

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In November 2011, the Syracuse Post-Standard newspaper printed an extensive profile, Svante Myrick: How a child of modest means became Ithaca's youngest mayor-elect.

Common Council

In January 2008, at the age of 20, Myrick became the youngest alderperson for the City of Ithaca and one of the youngest elected African-Americans in US history. While serving as a councilman, Myrick’s principle achievements include forwarding a successful effort to create a “tobacco-free zone” on the Ithaca Commons, promoting youth involvement in city government through overseeing the creation of the Ithaca Youth Council, and leading the effort towards neighborhood master planning and comprehensive zoning changes to better direct development and improve the quality of life in Ithaca’s dense, student-dominated Collegetown

Collegetown

Collegetown is a neighborhood in Ithaca, NY directly south of Cornell University's campus....

neighborhood.

Mayoral Campaign

Myrick declared his intent to pursue the office of Mayor of Ithaca as a Democrat. In the Primary election, he faced two long-established and respected competitors: Alderperson J.R. Claiborne, and County Legislature Pamela Mackesey. As the Democratic Party nominee, Myrick was able to invalidate aggressive concerns about his age, experience, connection to the community and capability. Myrick earned 54.9% of votes cast in the November general election (a 28.5% margin from the nearest candidate), winning all city voting districts, across diverse regional and cultural neighborhoods. Myrick defeated Janis Kelly (Chair of the Ithaca Republican Committee), J.R. Clairborne (Independence Party candidate), and Wade Wykstra (Independent).