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Katie Couric:...want you to meet someone a lot closer to home, Michael Sessions. He is a high school senior, but his biggest headache isn't the prom or even math class, although recently for him , life has been a number's game. On Tuesday at the tender age 18 he was elected mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan, winning by only two, that's right, count on two votes.
Katie Couric: Mayor-elect Sessions, good morning, congratulations!
Michael Sessions: Thank you.
Katie Couric: Very nice to meet you.
Michael Sessions: Nice to meet you too.
Katie Couric: Well good, listen. So this has been crazy for you, right? (Oh, it's..)You were on Nightwing a couple of nights ago. (Yes) You were on David Letterman last night. (Last night, yep) and the. . . you know, (It's 8 am and I am on the Today show) this little, this little Today show thing. And what is it if they like for you? Has it been just insanity? Fun?
Michael Sessions: It's, It's been overwhelming but it's been fun at the same time, I mean. . for the past 72 hours it's been nonstop.
Katie Couric: How did this whole thing get started, by the way?
Michael Sessions: Well, I really, I thought you know, I can bring some energy to the city so I thought I wanna, I wanna run for mayor in the city of Hillsdale, so back in, back in May I decided, well, when my cousin and I called the City Clerk's Office and see "Well, can I run?, can I fill a petition and run? " Well, the city clerk said: " No, you can't do it, you are 17, and you are not a registered voter yet. So it comes around my birthday, first thing I go to do, register to vote.
Katie Couric: Good for you and then(Ne(xt), then...) they said ok, you can run?
Michael Sessions: Well next week, they sent me my voter registration card and then I was in there filling up my declaration to be a write-in candidate.
Katie Couric: And then you used , what, $700 you'd earned from summer jobs?
Michael Sessions: Yes, from my summer jobs.
Katie Couric:For your campaign?
Michael Sessions: Yep, yep
Katie Couric: Ok, now, I am just curious, did you have any competition?
Michael Sessions: Yes I did. There was a guy in the ballot.
Katie Couric: Yeah, and why do you think that the voters of Hillsdale ultimately cast their ballots for you and what was your platform?
Michael Sessions: I, you know I wanted to bring enthusiasm to the city, and one of the biggest things was we gotta do, we gotta revitalize our economy. We're a small city but we've got plenty of aluminum industrial part to grow. That's one of the main reasons you know I want to try to help the city compete for the jobs to bring them to our city and also. . .
Katie Couric: Yeah, how do you propose to do that?
Michael Sessions: Well, there is a number of ways, you know first of all I...
Katie Couric: You feel like to meet the press?
Michael Sessions: Yeah, I meet the press right now. But You know in the coming weeks we are gonna develop plans with the city Council as such, I am only one vote on the city Council, essen(tially), essentially, but we will have to see .
Katie Couric:Well, it's really a very very exciting you are doing this. But What about going to college,(Well..) I mean, obviously you are a smart , involved young man(Right. Right.) , You don't want to go on to college? Or you are to defer (well, I do) college and you're gonna go while you are a mayor?
Michael Sessions: Yes, I planned to go, next fall, I don't know where yet , but I'd like to go to those college, but I haven't applied anywhere yet. (Right).
Katie Couric:Since you've been busy?
Michael Sessions: I've been so busy, yes.
Katie Couric: Running your campaign, is it true that you ran for office in high school and you didn't win?
Michael Sessions: Yeah, I was defeated, for a Student Council Office.
Katie Couric: Really? So I guess all your friends are pretty impressed with this?
Michael Sessions: Yeah!
Katie Couric: Yeah, do you think it is gonna help you get a date for the prom?
Michael Sessions: I don't know about that.
Katie Couric: Yeah,well good luck to you!
Michael Sessions: Well I think it is very impressive that you are embarked on this campaign and(Thank you.) let us know how it's going.(Thank you.)
Katie Couric: Mayor Sessions, very nice to meet you!
Michael Sessions: Very nice to meet you too.
Katie Couric: OK.
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