Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick will step down in February to take a position in the non-profit sector.
Myrick, the city’s youngest mayor and first Black person to hold the role, made the announcement as part of his state of the city address Wednesday evening.
“Being the 44th mayor of the City of Ithaca has been the honor of my lifetime,” Myrick said. “And fighting for this community is all I’ve done in my adult life from the age of 20 until now. It is my only passion and it’s what’s kept me motivated.”
Myrick said he’s leaving to accept a position with People for the American Way, a non-profit organization that fights extremism and promotes ideals of equity in democracy, according to the group’s website.
Alderperson Laura Lewis will assume the role of acting mayor beginning Feb. 7 until a special election can be held to fill the seat before the term expires at the end of 2023.
Since taking office as Mayor in 2012, Myrick has overseen numerous development projects across the city. His plans to address the opioid epidemic, policing and to decarbonize the city’s housing stock have received national attention over his time in office.