Small town elects a teenage mayor

(NOVEMBER 13, 2018) Yoncalla, Oregon has about 1,000 people. It also has a new mayor. His name is Ben Simons. He is 18 years old.

Ben begins his new job January 1. He wants to help his neighbors. He wants his small town to grow.

"You can be involved in government no matter what your age is," says Ben.

Ben finished high school last spring. Now he is a student at Umpqua Community College. He wants to study business.

Sources:
Associated Press. “Oregon Teen Mayor Says Age Irrelevant.” The Columbian, The Columbian, 11 Nov. 2018, https://www.columbian.com/news/2018/nov/11/oregon-teen-mayor-says-age-irrelevant/. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.
Campuzano, Eder. “No ‘Parks & Rec’ Jokes: Oregon’s Teen Mayor Is Here to Get Stuff Done.” OregonLive.Com, OregonLive.com, 10 Nov. 2018, https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2018/11/oregon_towns_new_teen_mayor_doesnt_appreciate_your_parks_and_rec_jokes.html. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.
Parfitt, Jamie. “Oregon’s Teen Mayor Says People Can Serve No Matter Their Age.” KDRV News, 31 Dec. 2017, https://www.kdrv.com/content/news/Oregons-Teen-Mayor-Says-People-Can-Serve-No-Matter-Their-Age-500305202.html. Accessed 13 Nov. 2018.
Yoncalla Oregon (image) by Visitor7 [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons


"ESOL News Oregon by Timothy Krause is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. except where noted.