The Future of American Politics: A Discussion with Millennial Mayors

Alex Morse, mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, is the youngest mayor in the city's history and the second youngest in state history. He was sworn into office on January 3, 2012. Morse's main areas of focus for the community are early childhood literacy, building a local economy around art, innovation, and technology, supporting community policing initiatives, and marketing Holyoke as a great place to live and work. Morse graduated from Brown University in 2011 with a degree in Urban Studies. During his time at Brown, he worked as a youth career counselor at CareerPoint in Holyoke, and was mentored by former Providence mayor and current Congressman David Cicilline. He also served on the governor's LGBT commission.

Svante L. Myrick, mayor of Ithaca, New York, is the city's youngest mayor and first mayor of color. At age 24, Myrick won a four-way mayoral race—sweeping 18 out of 18 election districts. Before being sworn into office on January 1, 2012, he represented the fourth ward on the city's Common Council. In addition, Myrick chaired the committee that created the Ithaca Youth Council. He also chaired the Collegetown Vision Implementation Committee, which led to the creation and endorsement of a master plan for promoting development while still preserving neighborhoods in Collegetown. Myrick is a graduate of Cornell University, where he studied Communication. He served as a REACH (Raising Education Attainment Challenge) board member for three years, and tutored under-served young people in Ithaca for eight semesters.