Youngest mayor in the state’s history.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: A small Maryland town has elected the youngest ever mayor in the state’s history.
Multiple news outlets have reported 19-year-old Brandon Paulin will become mayor of Indian Head, a town of about 4,000 residents located on the Potomac River, reported the Associated Press.
“He’s the youngest mayor I’ve seen,†said Jim Peck, director of research at the Maryland Municipal League, which keeps track of more than 150 municipalities in the state. “And I’ve been here 31 years,†he told The Washington Post.
Paulin, a political science major at the College of Southern Maryland, garnered 239 votes, more than twice as many as incumbent Mayor Dennis Scheessele, and 52 more than the second-place finisher, Ron Sitoula, who will assume the role of vice mayor.
According to local NBC affiliate WBAL, the mayor-elect said his first plan of action will be to get accustomed to the job, then he will get to work fulfilling his campaign promises, which include breathing new life into some of the town’s vacant buildings, encouraging more businesses to move in, and improving city events.
He informed WTOP that he knows that his age will require him to work harder than the average mayor when it comes to earning the respect of other local lawmakers, but he says that is a challenge he is ready to accept.
According to The Post, Paulin’s campaign slogan, “New vision, new way,†came about because he thinks Indian Head has been “on a decline for a very long time.â€
“The same two people were running and getting reelected as mayor and vice mayor. Nothing changes,†he exclaimed. “After 20 years,†added the teen, “you’ve just got to stop believing them.â€