SALEM — Voting in this year’s election was particularly exciting for 19-year-old Micheal Johnson.
Not only was it his first time filling out a general election ballot, but his name was on it.
In a bold and surprisingly premeditated move, the teen decided to run for mayor of Gervais. He lost, but it hasn’t deflated his spirits. If anything, it’s done just the opposite.
“As it got closer to the election, I was thinking I wasn’t going to get a whole lot of votes," he said.
When the early results were posted and he saw that he had captured 33 percent of the votes for mayor, he was relieved and pleased.
Considering that his only campaign methods were through social media and word of mouth, he thinks he could have had a real shot at winning had he invested in yard signs. He should have listened to his mother, who suggested he do just that.
“Maybe if I would have listened to her, I would have gotten more votes and I would have won," he said. “I still think I did pretty good getting a third of the vote using the methods I used."
Johnson comes across as the serious type. He speaks slowly and articulates each word, breaking into the occasional shy smile. He is admittedly an introvert by nature. His job as a courtesy clerk at the Woodburn Walmart has helped him break out of his shell during the past year and a half.
His job entails collecting loose shopping carts in the parking lot or helping customers carry big items to their cars. He also deals with the bottle return machines.
“The fun stuff," he said in such a way that it was difficult to tell if he was being sarcastic.
He probably was being serious. Johnson seems genuine. He’s a smart young man who honestly wanted a shot at being mayor of the small town that has raised him and kept him safe the past 19 years. He still lives in Gervais with his parents and is attending Chemeketa Community College, where he’s studying to be an accountant.
The teen graduated from Gervais High School in 2011 and has fond memories of walking with friends to the market to pick up chips and soda.
“Whenever we needed something to do, we would walk around town," he said.
Johnson enjoyed growing up in a city with a population of fewer than 2,500 people, and a recent road trip reaffirmed his love for his hometown. He and his brother Joe, 18, departed for California in August. Driving is one of Johnson’s favorite activities, and he took the wheel the entire 1,800-mile trip. The pair visited several attractions and cities, including San Francisco, which proved to be a bit overwhelming for the teens.
He was never so happy to return to Gervais, where he knows people by name and isn’t just another body caught in the rush of the crowd.
By early August, Johnson already knew he was running for mayor. He had already collected 10 signatures and completed his petition for nomination to have his name on the November ballot.
He asked his parents, three uncles, grandmother and several friends for their signatures. He had them verified at the Marion County elections office and then turned in the paperwork to Gervais City Hall. And just like that, he made it on the ballot.
His mother, Vicki Johnson, wasn’t shocked in the least when she learned her oldest child was running for mayor.
“When he was in high school, before he was even able to vote, he would read the voter’s pamphlet from front to back every time. I knew the potential to be a politician was in him," she said.
Micheal Johnson’s opponent, incumbent mayor of Gervais, Shanti Platt, on the other hand, was surprised on more than one level: first, that a young person was taking interest, which she thought was exciting, and second, that he hadn’t yet served at the city level in any capacity.
“Here’s this unknown who came in and got the paperwork and didn’t go for a council position, but jumped right into the mayor spot," she said with a laugh.
Platt, who has been mayor of Gervais since 2006, said she is planning to encourage Johnson to fill an open seat on the city’s budget committee. Her advice for him is to attend council meetings, read the city charter and take advantage of volunteer opportunities within the city.
She also hopes he doesn’t give up the dream even if he leaves Gervais.
“The world is a big place and people with that passion are needed no matter where they are," she said.
Johnson certainly isn’t the youngest person to ever run for mayor. In January 2002, 18-year-old Jeffrey Dunkel was sworn in as mayor of Mount Carbon, Pa., population 91. The youngest mayor ever elected was Brian Zimmerman, who was 11 when he became the honorary mayor of a small unincorporated Texas town, inspiring the 1986 film, “The Lone Star Kid."