Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 will step down to lead People for the American Way

At the Ithaca Common Council meeting on Jan. 5, Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 announced that he will be leaving office to serve as executive director of People for the American Way (PFAW). According to their website, PFAW and the PFAW Foundation are “progressive advocacy organizations founded to fight right-wing extremism and build a democratic society that implements the ideals of freedom, equality, opportunity and justice for all.” Myrick has been director of youth leadership programs for PFAW since 2017, and has served as Ithaca's mayor for the past ten years, longer than any of his predecessors.

“The American democratic experiment is the reason that someone like me — born into homelessness, and raised by a single mother — was able to attend an institution like Cornell, and serve the city he loves. But I am alarmed at the full frontal assault on our democracy. I believe my service can make a difference in the struggle ahead, and I want to protect that American dream for people of all backgrounds.” —Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 explaining his decision to step down at the Jan. 5, 2022 Ithaca Common Council meeting