High-School Senior Wins Iowa Mayoral Race

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AP Photo / KIMT TV

In this frame grab provided by KIMT TV, mayor-elect Jeremy Minnier is seen at Hampton Dumont High School Nov. 9, 2011, in Aredale, Iowa.

He isn’t even old enough to raise a glass in celebration.

An Iowa teenager has been elected mayor in his hometown of Aredale — a town with a population of 73, according to the New York Daily News. Jeremy Minnier, 18, a Hampton Dumont High School senior, unseated current mayor Virgil Homer on November 8, after the incumbent garnered just eight votes. Minnier received 24 write-in votes.

The young upstart is following in the footsteps of his father, who was mayor of the town before he was born. Minnier told local television station KIMT-TV he stood because he thought the voices of residents were not being heard. And he has a message for those who doubt he’s up to the job.

“It’s just one of them things where people think, ‘You’re only 18, you can’t do this because you don’t know what’s going on.’ Well, that’s a false statement.”

Minnier will assume office on January 3, 2012, but will be something of a part-time mayor. He plans to attend community college during his four-year term. The teenager has said rural water supplies and the appearance of the town are the most pressing issues he wants to address.

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