Not the new Fox reality show!

November 11, 2005 1:45 PM

Teen Mayor!
Eighteen year old Michael Sessions can't buy or drink alcohol but he has been elected the mayor of his hometown of Hillsdale, Michigan. He won the office by two votes, which he's credited to his parents for putting him over the top.
His reason for running? Eight races in his town were being run unopposed and he didn't think that was right so he tried to run but was underage at the time. So he ran as a write-in. And won, pending a recount.
It will certainly be an interesting senior year of high school for him.
posted by fenriq (27 comments total)

Recount's done. He won by two.
posted by dpx.mfx at 1:47 PM on November 11, 2005

This post is interesting... it implies the existence of sources of "news" that might provide me with information on events that happen from day to day.
posted by gurple at 1:49 PM on November 11, 2005

What a cocky young prick! Joking. Best to him.
posted by Peter H at 1:50 PM on November 11, 2005

That's the most extreme thing I've seen for a kid to keep the bullies away.
posted by cleverusername at 1:52 PM on November 11, 2005

Boy, the first paragraph of that MSNBC article is awful:

An 18-year-old has just won the mayoral post in Hillsdale, Mich. and one in Roland, Iowa and Linesville, Penn. Two more have taken seats on the city council of Waterville Village, Ohio and Westbrook, Maine respectively. That youth and inexperience do not equal disinterest is not new in American politics.

That first sentence alone is completely baffling. It makes it sound like the kid is now the mayor of three different cities.
posted by papakwanz at 1:53 PM on November 11, 2005

"That first sentence alone is completely baffling. It makes it sound like the kid is now the mayor of three different cities."

He is, the overachieving little bastard.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 1:55 PM on November 11, 2005

I imagine the council's first act of their new session will be a move to impeach. But then I'm cynical.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 1:56 PM on November 11, 2005

posted by Peter H at 1:56 PM on November 11, 2005

That first sentence alone is completely baffling

It also misuses "disinterest". Olbermann is really getting into the spirit of the blogosphere.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 2:01 PM on November 11, 2005

I agree that first sentence is a head scratcher. But the kid seems to have a pretty, you know, decent head on his, you know, shoulders. Aside from the predilection for, you know, saying you know alot.

A question though, does the mayor have authority over the local police? Could he order them to not bust the underage party he's getting drunk at?
posted by fenriq at 2:06 PM on November 11, 2005

Fenriq: Depends on the town, but usually no, I don't think he can order the local police to do this, or don't do that. But he can find a new chief of police if he doesn't like the current one. So, in a way he does have control, but indirectly.

This similar to the way that the president couldn't tell the FBI to stop investigating him, but he get's to appoint the director of the FBI....
posted by darkness at 2:16 PM on November 11, 2005

Another weird recent election: In the city of Waterbury, CT, the incumbent mayor lost the primary election. So he ran as a write-in candidate, and won by 2000 votes. Even more amusing was that on election night, they figured his votes by subtraction, not by actually counting the write-ins. And his opponents conceded on the basis too.
posted by smackfu at 2:21 PM on November 11, 2005

Peter H, that's, um, gross.
posted by The Jesse Helms at 2:21 PM on November 11, 2005

1 4m +eH M4yOR! I h4ck J00 wi+h MY l33+ 5kiLl5!
posted by CynicalKnight at 2:39 PM on November 11, 2005

Peter H, that's, um, gross.

Ha, maybe you prefer something less authentic.
posted by Peter H at 2:53 PM on November 11, 2005

he had a great quote this morning on cnn when asked about he could handle both going to high school and being mayor:

"i'll go to school from 7:00 until 2:30 and then i'll do mayor stuff from 3 to 6"
posted by poppo at 2:55 PM on November 11, 2005

He's just going to be mayor from 3:00 until 6:00? (Is that his curfew?) Seems like that would interfere with the rest of the city council. What other functions is he responsible for? Besides presiding over the city council.
eh what poppo said.
posted by Tacitus at 2:59 PM on November 11, 2005

He should just drop out or test out (GED).
posted by tomplus2 at 3:17 PM on November 11, 2005

The "great quote" seems much more reasonable when you realize that his town's day-to-day operations are handled by the City Planner, and the office of Mayor is a part-time position, and pays all of $3,600. (Source)
posted by CrayDrygu at 3:20 PM on November 11, 2005

Wild in the Streets!
posted by xod at 3:21 PM on November 11, 2005

This has happened before in beautful four-color magic.
posted by bardic at 3:53 PM on November 11, 2005

Even better link to Teen Prez.

But more power to this kid. It's a neat story.
posted by bardic at 3:53 PM on November 11, 2005

The USA Today article described it as a largely ceremonial post, with no (physical) office, so he's working out of his bedroom. But hey, good for him.
posted by pmurray63 at 4:52 PM on November 11, 2005

bardic: Oh I didn't realize that was a whole comic, I only saw the Sandman crossover.
posted by aubilenon at 4:52 PM on November 11, 2005

hillsdale's a fairly small city and like other towns of its size, being a city officer isn't that time consuming

and no, it wouldn't do to call off the local cops from underage parties he was attending ... the local papers love little controversies like that
posted by pyramid termite at 8:12 PM on November 11, 2005

That's going to be one heck of an extracurricular activity on his college applications.
posted by gyc at 9:06 PM on November 11, 2005

City manager handles the business of running the city in Hillsdale. And generally small-town city council meetings are in the evenings as most councilmen and women have day jobs too. I would have loved to be mayor at 18.
posted by Roger Dodger at 7:04 AM on November 12, 2005