18year-old youngest mayor in USA
18-year-old write-in candidate elected Hillsdale mayor
Associated Press
Michael Sessions
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HILLSDALE, Mich. - An 18-year-old high school student has been elected mayor after mounting a write-in campaign to oust the 51-year-old incumbent.
With all the votes counted, Michael Sessions had 732 votes to 668 for Mayor Doug Ingles, according to unofficial figures posted on the city's Web site.
A cheer went up in the Sessions home when the results were announced over the radio. The Hillsdale High School student lives with his parents and 13-year-old sister Sarah.
Scott and Lorri Sessions at first had doubts about the wisdom of their son's candidacy, he said.
"They thought I was crazy and (were) pretty skeptical of my campaign, but now they have smiles from cheek-to-cheek," Sessions told The Blade of Toledo, Ohio.
Hillsdale _ population 8,200 _ is home to the 160-year-old, 1,200-student Hillsdale College.
Pending clearance by the County Board of Canvassers on Thursday, Sessions will be the youngest mayor in city history, the Hillsdale Daily News reported.
Sessions was 17 and not yet qualified to get on the ballot in the spring.
But one day after his birthday, on Sept. 22, he registered to vote. The next day, he signed up as a write-in candidate.
He used $700 from a summer job to fund his race.
"Right off, I'm not going to get their respect, they'll say: 'This kid could be my grandson,'" Sessions said of the City Council. "But it's not about bossing them around, it will be about cooperating with them."
Sessions put up signs all over Hillsdale and campaigned door-to-door.
"A lot of older people really enjoyed talking to me. I looked them in the eye. Young people could relate to me," he said.
Ingles declined comment Tuesday night but asked earlier, "How much credibility does an 18-year-old have?"
Sessions responded Tuesday night, "They elected me mayor, so obviously the people of Hillsdale took me seriously."
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