Digital illustration of a kid mayor being interviewed

Courtesy the City of Gaithersburg (Jud Ashman, Abeer Dey); Shutterstock.com (all other images)

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I'm a Junior Mayor

Fifth-grader Abeer Dey is learning how local government works.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to run a city? I’m getting the chance to find out! I’m the junior mayor in Gaithersburg, Maryland, which is my hometown.

Gaithersburg holds a contest called “If I Were Mayor” for fourth-graders each year. Last spring, I wrote an essay telling the city council what I would do if I were to get the job. I wrote about my goal of preventing bullying in schools. My plan involves creating stations where kids could go to report bullying to teachers. 

Keep It Local

Working with Mayor Ashman has been an eye-opening experience. I’ve learned so much, like how to respectfully listen to the concerns of people in the community and how to share my ideas for improving our city. 

I also get to attend a lot of events. At a local fair, I greeted people along with the mayor and other officials. I’ve even been interviewed by a TV news reporter! 

Being a junior mayor has shown me how important local government is in solving problems in my community. If you have an idea about how to help your city or town, your local government can help implement it.

Here’s a look at some of the leaders at each level of government in the U.S.

LOCAL
Many cities and towns elect a mayor, who works with a group that’s often called a council. Together, they make decisions about their community, such as how much to spend on libraries and parks.


STATE
A governor is the head of each state’s government. Each state also has a group of lawmakers called a legislature. Among its many responsibilities, the state government decides what’s taught in public schools. 


FEDERAL
The president is the head of the federal government. Members of the U.S. Congress pass bills, which the president can veto (reject) or sign into law. For example, one national law requires cars to have seat belts.

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