Mr. Mayor

The shoe factory closed, and the supermarket left town.

So did the best students at Earle High School. Most of those who went to college decided their hometown didn’t have enough to lure them back.

Jaylen Smith could have left too. Instead, when he graduated from high school last spring, he decided to stay put in Earle, a small city surrounded by farmland in the Arkansas Delta, where his family has lived for generations.

Not only that, but he ran for mayor—and won.

“Why should I have to go somewhere else to be great when I can be great right here in Earle, Arkansas?” Smith says.

Smith was 18 when he won the mayor’s race in December, beating the city’s sanitation and street manager, and he took office January 1. His victory made him the nation’s youngest Black mayor ever elected, according to the African American Mayors Association. Many in Earle hope that his youthful energy and sense of mission can boost the city’s sagging fortunes.

“It’s an asset because he’s motivated and he has fresh ideas,” says Tyneshia Bohanon, a city councilwoman who got to know Smith while substitute teaching in Earle’s public schools. “He’s thinking of others, as he always has. He chose to stay and get his city where he knows it can be.”

Smith’s campaign focused on luring a supermarket back to town and building up the Earle Police Department so it can operate 24 hours a day. He also won over voters by talking about patching up streets, tearing down dilapidated buildings, and lifting the community’s morale.

Earle is a place that’s seen better days. Its majority-Black population of 1,800 is about half of what it was in the 1990s. The city has struggled to raise enough tax revenue to make the municipal payroll. The state has taken over the school district. And a faulty drainage system leaves many neighborhoods flooded whenever it rains.

There’s a lot to fix, but Smith seems undaunted.

“I’m kind of a go-getter,” he says. “When I was in high school, I was always told no, but I always kept pushing it because I knew there was someone that was waiting to tell me yes.”

The shoe factory closed. Then the supermarket left town, and so did the best students at Earle High School. Most of those who went to college decided there was no reason for them to return to their hometown. Earle is a small city in the Arkansas Delta, surrounded by farmland.

Jaylen Smith could have left too. His family has lived in Earle for generations. Instead, Smith decided to stay put in Earle when he graduated from high school last spring.

Not only that, but he ran for mayor—and won.

“Why should I have to go somewhere else to be great when I can be great right here in Earle, Arkansas?” Smith says.

Smith was 18 when he won the mayor’s race in December. He ran against and beat the city’s sanitation and street manager. His victory made him the nation’s youngest Black mayor ever elected, according to the African American Mayors Association. On January 1, he took office. Many in Earle hope that his youthful energy and sense of mission can boost the city’s fortune.

“It’s an asset because he’s motivated and he has fresh ideas,” says Tyneshia Bohanon, a city councilwoman who got to know Smith while substitute teaching in Earle’s public schools. “He’s thinking of others, as he always has. He chose to stay and get his city where he knows it can be.”

Smith’s campaign focused on luring a supermarket back to town and building up the Earle Police Department so it can operate 24 hours a day. He also won over voters by talking about patching up streets, tearing down crumbling buildings, and lifting the community’s morale.

Earle is a place that’s seen better days. Its majority-Black population of 1,800 is about half of what it was in the 1990s. The city has struggled to raise enough tax revenue to pay its staff. The state has taken over the school district. And a faulty drainage system leaves many neighborhoods flooded whenever it rains.

There’s a lot to fix, but that hasn’t discouraged Smith.

“I’m kind of a go-getter,” he says. “When I was in high school, I was always told no, but I always kept pushing it because I knew there was someone that was waiting to tell me yes.”

Not everyone was ready to entrust Smith, now 19, with leading the city.
As a candidate, he had to persuade skeptics who cited his age and lack of experience. But his supporters argued that they weren’t asking voters to put their city in the hands of any teenager. This was Jaylen—who started wearing suits to school in ninth grade and was already a fixture at City Council meetings and community events.

“Sometimes, when the City Council members didn’t show up, Jaylen was there,” says Angela Jones, a councilwoman. Even before his election, she says, Smith regularly attended school board meetings and water commission meetings too.

“Who does that?” Jones adds. “At a young age, he had purpose.”

Billy Joe Murray, the retired basketball coach at Earle High School, says that the city is in dire need of improvements.

“Everybody leaves Earle,” says Murray, 68. “People want to move up in life, and Earle is probably at its lowest.”

He believes in Smith’s ability to turn things around. “He may look young, but he’s got his head on right,” says Murray.

Others, however, aren’t as sure about Mayor Smith.

“He says he’s going to clean up the city, so we’ll see what happens,” says Charlie Young, 70, who owns a convenience store. “Everybody’s eyes are on him.”

Not everyone was ready to entrust Smith, now 19, with leading the city. As a candidate, he had to persuade skeptics who cited his age and lack of experience. But his supporters argued that they weren’t asking voters to put their city in the hands of any teenager. This was Jaylen, who started wearing suits to school in ninth grade. He was also already a fixture at City Council meetings and community events.

“Sometimes, when the City Council members didn’t show up, Jaylen was there,” says Angela Jones, a councilwoman. Even before his election, Smith regularly attended school board meetings and water commission meetings too, she says.

“Who does that?” Jones adds. “At a young age, he had purpose.”

Billy Joe Murray, the retired basketball coach at Earle High School, says that the city needs urgent improvements.

“Everybody leaves Earle,” says Murray, 68. “People want to move up in life, and Earle is probably at its lowest.”

He believes in Smith’s ability to turn things around. “He may look young, but he’s got his head on right,” says Murray.

But others aren’t as sure about Mayor Smith.

“He says he’s going to clean up the city, so we’ll see what happens,” says Charlie Young, 70, who owns a convenience store. “Everybody’s eyes are on him.”

Smith, who has two older brothers and a twin named Jayden, has “been old since he was little,” says his mother, Sonya Perkins. Smith once hoped to become a state trooper. But his plans shifted after he became involved in student government.

Smith knows some Earle residents are wary of his youth, says DeAveon Holmes, one of his closest friends from student government. “He took that as motivation.”

During his campaign, Smith knocked on the door of nearly every home in Earle. He spent days shadowing mayors in other Arkansas cities, including Little Rock and West Memphis, and scheduled video calls with mayors outside the state, eager to learn what the job actually entailed.

“You have to have the knowledge,” Smith says. “You have to have the character. You have to be disciplined.”

He’s balancing the mayor’s job with online classes at Arkansas State University Mid-South. Smith dreams of one day running for the state legislature or even becoming Arkansas’s governor. For now, though, his focus is on the often-tedious work of running a city. Within a few days of being sworn in, he’d already dispatched crews to work on storm drains.

And new challenges crop up by the minute, with everyone wanting his attention. When the phone rang as Smith was being interviewed for this story, Earle’s new leader didn’t hesitate.

“Mayor’s office,” he said.

Smith, who has two older brothers and a twin named Jayden, has “been old since he was little,” says his mother, Sonya Perkins. Smith once hoped to become a state trooper. But his plans shifted after he became involved in student government.

Smith knows that his age concerns some Earle residents, says DeAveon Holmes, one of his closest friends from student government. “He took that as motivation.”

During his campaign, Smith knocked on the door of nearly every home in Earle. He spent days shadowing mayors in other Arkansas cities, including Little Rock and West Memphis. He also scheduled video calls with mayors outside the state. Along each step of the way, he was eager to learn what the job actually involved.

“You have to have the knowledge,” Smith says. “You have to have the character. You have to be disciplined.”

He’s balancing the mayor’s job with online classes at Arkansas State University Mid-South. Smith dreams of one day getting elected to serve at the state level or even becoming Arkansas’s governor. But his focus right now is on the often-endless work of running a city. Within a few days of being sworn in, he’d already sent crews to work on storm drains.

And new challenges crop up by the minute, with everyone wanting his attention. When the phone rang as Smith was being interviewed for this story, Earle’s new leader didn’t hesitate.

“Mayor’s office,” he said.