18-year-old elected mayor in Crawford County town
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
LINESVILLE, Pa. -- This borough's newest mayor wasn't even old enough to vote for himself in the primary.
Now 18, Christopher R. Seeley said he has ambitious plans for Linesville, best known as the place where ducks walk on the backs of carp near the spillway at Pymatuning Reservoir.
"The people of Linesville have spoken," said Seeley, a Democrat and a senior at Linesville High School. "They are able to trust their police and security to my generation."
Seeley garnered 144 votes -- nearly twice the number earned by his opponent, Kevin McGrath -- according to the unofficial count.
As mayor, Seeley will oversee the police department and public safety concerns. He will also break any ties on council.
Seeley said he wants to expand the duties of mayor.
"My biggest issue was the fact that the status quo for mayor's office is pretty low," he said. Seeley said he would also like to work on community redevelopment and promotion.
He would also like to see a regional police department created with a neighboring municipality so another full-time officer could be added. The borough has one full-time and two part-time officers.
McGrath, a councilman, said job obligations interfered with his ability to campaign. He said he planned to take time off from council but wished Seeley good luck.
Linesville is about 90 miles north of Pittsburgh, near the Ohio border in Crawford County.