中英双语：18岁高中生当选美国最年轻市长

中英双语：18岁高中生当选美国最年轻市长 The new mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan, is a man of the people, ready to listen to their every concern, but only until 6pm. Then he has to do his homework. The local elections on Tuesday may have been dismal for George Bush's Republican party, but they were a triumph for Michael Sessions, an independent who emerged as the country's youngest mayor at the age of 18. Mr Sessions, who is too young to drink in his own town, won by just two votes after a recount. By 670 votes to 668, he beat the sitting mayor, who is 51. He was too young to stand by the spring deadline for registration, so after he turned 18 he entered as a write-in candidate - meaning voters had to remember his name and add it to the ballot by hand in order to support him. He started by winning the support of a powerful interest group, the Hillsdale firefighters' union, who had fallen out with the town council. The union has a membership of three, but in post-September 11 America it wields symbolic clout. Before endorsing Mr Sessions, its president, Kevin Pauken, called his teachers to check on his credentials. "The guys were a little leery at first because of his age, but he really impressed us with his openness and his energy," Mr Pauken told reporters To help get his name known, Mr Sessions raised $700 selling toffee apples over the summer and spent it on posters and placards which were sprinkled around Hillsdale's lawns by election day. His month-long campaign involved going door to door, explaining his vision of the town's future in the kitchens of his initially sceptical neighbours. "They'd look at me, and say 'How old are you again? How much experience do you have?' And I say 'I'm still in high school'," he recalled. 美国密歇根州希尔斯代尔市新市长是位名副其实的来自人民的市长，他随时准备倾听市民的 心声，但是每天的办公时间只能到下午六点，因为晚上他还要做作业呢。 对于美国总统布什领导的共和党来说，当地本周二进行的市长选举令人沮丧，但是对于迈克 尔?塞申斯，这是一个巨大的胜利。这位18岁的无党派人士脱颖而出，成为美国最年轻的市 长。 塞申斯太年轻了，他还不到自己所在市规定的合法饮酒年龄。重新计算选票后，他以两票优 势获得了胜利，以670票对668票，击败51岁的现任市长，成功入主市政府。 今年春天的候选人报名日期结束之前，他还太年轻，不能去登记，所以他一满18周岁就马上 去登记成为写入候选人，这就意味着如果选民们要支持他的话不得不记住他的名字，还要手 工在选票上添加他的名字。 赢得希尔斯代尔市消防员联盟的支持是他胜利的起点，那是一个强大的利益集团，曾经和该 市议会闹翻过。 这个联盟只有三个人，但是在美国9?11恐怖袭击事件后，有着象征性的影响力。在支持塞 申斯竞选市长之前，该联盟主席凯文?保肯特地致电塞申斯的老师核实他的学历背景。 “最初，因为他年龄太小，联盟的成员们有点不太相信，但是他的坦率和活力确实给我们留 下了深刻的印象。”保肯先生告诉记者说。 为了让大家都知道他的名字，夏天，塞申斯通过卖太妃糖苹果筹集了700美元，这些钱他都 用在了海报和广告上。市长竞选那天，希尔斯代尔市的草坪上到处都是他的竞选海报。 他进行了长达一个月的竞选活动，包括挨家挨户敲门游说，在最初不信任他的邻居家的厨房 阐述自己对于城市发展前景的想法。 “他们看着我说，‘再问一遍你多大了,你有多少执政经验,’我回答他们说‘我还在读高 中。’”他回忆说。