18-year-old, Athens native Houston Gaines, is now 19 and a freshman at the University of Georgia majoring in political science and economics. Gaines ran a winning mayoral campaign that involved raising $100,000, cutting way back on his class schedule, and, in Gaines’ words, “trying not to look like we were trying too hard.” Both Denson and Hoard hope and expect to see him working at the local, state and national level eventually. Gaines says he’s going to return to life as a full-time student, but he’d like to work on a statewide campaign and maybe, if his life leads him in the direction, run for office himself. “You can’t set out to be a politician. It’s how your life goes… It would be neat to serve people in that way, but it’s life experiences that give you that opportunity.”

FLAGPOLE