"Step Up and Do Things"

The Hillsdale, Michigan mayor's race has finally been certified and Michael Sessions, a write-in candidate, has officially beaten the incumbent Doug Ingles by two votes! A lesson for all of us that every vote really does count. But the real kicker is... Sessions is an 18-year old high school senior!

The new Mayor-elect financed his run with $700 he earned at a summer job and then built a simple, old-fashioned shoe leather campaign, going door-to-door and talking to residents of the small, southern Michigan town. His energy and passion particularly impressed the local fire department, which endorsed him and turned out supporters on election day. Asked by reporters for a comment on the election results, the teen politico said "It's just showing that young can step up and do things for the community" (via MSNBC).

Sessions, who like all good politicians can't pass up a free chance to reach a nationwide audience, also appeared on last night's Late Show with David Letterman to read the "Top Ten Good Things About Being an 18-Year Old Mayor." Number 10? "Parents try to tell me what to do, I raise their taxes!"

Not bad for a political newcomer, regardless of his age.