City may let 18-year-olds run for office

Depending on who you ask, it's either a dream come true, a disaster waiting to happen or a purely hypothetical situation, but the College Park City Council has set events in motion that would make it far easier for an undergraduate to serve on the body.

The council voted last night to introduce a proposed amendment to the city's charter that would allow residents as young as 18 to serve as council members, down from the existing age limit of 21.

If the measure introduced by District 4 Councilman Marcus Afzali — who won his seat last year as a graduate student — survives a public hearing and a final vote over the coming weeks, any undergraduate who has been registered to vote in College Park for a year could be a council candidate in the next election.

Council members are elected to two-year terms and are paid $4,400 per year.

Although it does not appear the council will reject the charter amendment, there is widespread doubt that the student body could overcome its traditional apathy toward city elections and outvote residents who might be skeptical of a student candidate if an undergraduate ran.

Afzali said any student candidates need to show dedication, maturity and an understanding of city issues in order to stand a chance in an election. They need to have a vested interest in the city and not just a desire to sit on the city council, he said.

"A government and politics major thinking, ‘This would be really cool,' shouldn't run," Afzali said. "It's not what our city needs."

Even as a College Park native, Afzali — who was a 24-year-old government and politics doctoral student at the time of his campaign last November — said running as a student posed problems.

"The first time people saw me, there was a little skepticism," he said. "But once people saw that I had a good work ethic and I cared a lot, they didn't mind that I was a student."

Nick Aragon, who ran for a District 4 seat in 2007 as an undergraduate senior, said because students are split among three of the city's four legislative districts, it is difficult to assemble a student voting bloc.

"If more students want to run, then great, but until the districts aren't gerrymandered, I don't think age will matter," Aragon said.

Aragon said running as an undergraduate would be "an uphill battle," adding that any student who runs must be concerned with not only students but all residents in his or her district.

"One thing I'd definitely hate to see is someone who just pokes the flames with student-resident relations," Aragon said.

David Daddio, who was a senior when he dropped a District 3 council bid in 2006, echoed Afzali and Aragon's comments about dedication and student support.

Although total voter turnouts for city elections are traditionally low, city officials estimate fewer than a hundred students are typically among the several thousand total voters.

"It's one thing to run; it's another thing to win," Daddio said. Younger students being able to run is a great idea, he added, but to earn a council seat "someone is going to have to be really motivated."

Student Government Association President Steve Glickman said the key to getting a student into office is not to label them as a student but rather as a city resident, which was the SGA's approach when it campaigned for Afzali.

"If you support them as a student, the candidate doesn't win," Glickman said.

Hilary Staver, a board member of the UMD for Clean Energy student group that organized a successful get-out-the-vote effort in the last city election, said she felt the time commitment of a council seat would deter many students from seeking office but a student could be qualified.

"If [a student] takes the time to learn the issues, they could certainly do an adequate job," Staver said.

In an interview last year, District 2 Councilman Bob Catlin said no one should be elected to the council who will not be in the city long enough to run at age 21.

"Tell them to get older. That's what they do for drinking," Catlin said last year. "If you're interested in the city, then you should stay."

The point may be moot, however. Although a seat may open up within a few months if District 3 Councilman Mark Cook is successfully elected to the county school board in November, neither Staver nor Glickman knew of any potential candidates. A special election would fill that spot; the next election would be in November 2011, when every council member is up for re-election.

According to Afzali, the city will likely hold its public hearing on the amendment Oct. 26, and it would take effect 50 days after a favorable council vote — in time for a District 3 special election.

"If a seat were to open up, we would encourage and support a student to fill that spot," Glickman said.

mccarty at umdbk dot com