Mayor Svante Myrick, on Wednesday, announced he is resigning from office to pursue other career goals. He has accepted a position as Executive Director of People For the American Way, where he will be working alongside People For’s President, Ben Jealous.

We are grateful for Mayor Myrick's leadership and support over the past decade. During that time, he was extremely instrumental in Downtown Ithaca's revitalization.

From working to access federal dollars to stimulate the Commons rebuild project to leading the political effort to rezone Downtown to encourage density development, to supporting and facilitating the subsequent half-billion dollars of new private sector investment in Downtown, to rallying support for our forthcoming Ithaca Community Conference Center, Mayor Myrick has been a catalyst for smart urban growth and development that will shape and define our community for generations to come.

He leaves a legacy of innovation and leadership that has inspired us all and assuredly prove to be rewarding to the national audience he will now serve. The acid test of community service is -- did I leave my community better off than when I joined it. For Svante Myrick, that answer is a resounding yes.

We thank him for his service to our community and wish him all the best!