| Svante Myrick | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Ithaca, New York | |
| Taking office January 1, 2012 |
|
| Succeeding | Carolyn K. Peterson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 15, 1987 Earlville, New York |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Ithaca, New York |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
Svante Myrick (born March 15, 1987) is mayor-elect of Ithaca, New York, the county seat of Tompkins County and host city to Cornell University. Myrick is a member of the Democratic Party. In September 2011, he won 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. 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.
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Myrick is the third 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 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[1]. In his spare time, Myrick 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, Yankees and (with no small amount of exasperation) the New York Knicks.
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.
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 U.S. history.[1] 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[2], 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 neighborhood[3][4].
Myrick declared his intent to pursue the office of Mayor of Ithaca as a Democrat[5]. In the Primary election, he faced two long-established and respected competitors: Alderperson J.R. Claiborne, and County Legislature Pamela Mackesey[6]. As the Democratic Party nominee, Myrick was able to invalidate aggressive concerns about his age, experience, connection to the community and capability[7]. 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.[8] Myrick defeated Janis Kelly (Chair of the Ithaca Republican Committee), J.R. Clairborne (Independence Party candidate), and Wade Wykstra (Independent).[9][10]