Svante Myrick ’09 was reelected to a second four-year term as mayor of the City of Ithaca Tuesday, beating write-in candidate Phoebe Brown by a margin of 1,779 votes to 228.
Myrick ’09
Brown launched a write-in campaign against Myrick in October, even as she acknowledged the unlikeliness of winning. Currently a community outreach liaison for the Cayuga Medical Center’s Center for Healthy Living, Brown said she initiated the campaign to foster dialogue.
In a social media post Wednesday night, Myrick expressed joy over his reelection.
“With 89 percent of the vote I’ve been reelected Mayor of the City of Ithaca,” Myrick said. “Thank you for all of your support!”
Myrick was first elected City of Ithaca mayor in 2011, having served as an alderperson on the Common Council prior. He was elected to Common Council when he was 20 years old, and a junior at Cornell.
He was endorsed by four Ithaca alderpeople, chair of the Tompkins County Legislator Martha Robertson ’75, Legislators Jim Dennis and Nate Shinagawa ’05 as well as other local and state officials, according to his website.
According to his website, his central achievement in his first term was closing a $3 million deficit he inherited.
This election, his platform was similar to that of 2010. His primary issues are keeping Ithaca progressive, economic development and investment in the future, according to his website.
Myrick recently made news by being named a member of former Secretary of State and Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton’s 100 person New York campaign team.
Sofia Hu contributed reporting.