Ed Board has, in the past, ranted about the amount of apathy displayed by the college age group in their voting habits. If you haven’t voted, you now have another reason to feel ashamed of yourself. People younger than you are going way beyond casting a ballot.
Senior year of high school can be stressful enough with college applications and worrying about what to do with the rest of your life. Yet, some barely legal teenagers are finding the time to run for political office.
In the recent off-year elections in early November, 18-year-old Chris Sessions made national and even international news when he was elected as America’s youngest mayor in Hillsdale, Mich. With a campaign fund of $700 saved from a summer job, Sessions beat the incumbent mayor, Douglas Ingles, age 51, by a margin of two votes. The mayor’s job is part time and Ed Board thinks it is a wonderful extracurricular activity. Go to school, take an English test, run the town. It keeps kids off the streets and away from drugs. Way to one-up the class president, Sessions. He thought he was hot stuff, but you sure showed him.
On a local level, The Dallas Morning News reported on Nov. 23 that two South Garland High School seniors will be running for Garland City Council. Mark Hazelton and Paige Payne decided to run after attending council meetings for a class assignment. Hazelton (who is still in braces) and Payne have voiced intentions to attend community college should they win.
What better way to learn about local politics than by participating in them? That’s the ultimate civics lesson. It’s also not a bad addition to a resume: president of the high school chess club and city council member.
According to Dallas Country election law, you only have to be 18 years of age to run for city council. With the recent FBI investigations into several council members, now may be an opportune time for any aspiring politicians at SMU to file. Instead of working on someone else’s campaign, why not start your own?
Ed Board is impressed by these active teens who are taking government into their own hands. It’s that “if you want it done right, do it yourself” attitude that assures these high school overachievers will go far in life. Who knows? Maybe it will be “Sessions for President” in 2024.
