Fourth Grader Is Gaithersburg's New Junior Mayor

GAITHERSBURG, MD — The City of Gaithersburg has a new junior mayor.

Diego Flores-Cerezo, a fourth grade student at Summit Hall Elementary School, was selected to be junior mayor from an applicant pool of more than 50 resident fourth graders.

Through the "If I Were Mayor…" essay contest, applicants were asked to "define a specific issue or cause in their community and explain how they would solve it, how they would enlist the help of others, and how they would communicate the positive changes taking place in their community as a result," Gaithersburg officials said.

Flores-Cerezo's essay discussed pedestrian safety.

"What I would do as mayor is add more stop signs to intersections, proper speed limits, and traffic lights on streets where there are none," he wrote.

In an videotaped panel interview with city officials, Flores-Cerezo said he wanted volunteers from the community to create murals that promote safe driving habits.

The fourth grader will make his debut as Gaithersburg Junior Mayor during the State of the City Address on April 25, where he will receive the gavel from his predecessor, Zayd Salahuddin of Dufief Elementary School.

As Gaithersburg Junior Mayor, Flores-Cerezo be invited to join Mayor Jud Ashman and city council members at public ceremonies and events throughout the year. He will also have the chance to host a community service project alongside the mayor and city council members at Summit Hall Elementary School.

You can read Flores-Cerezo's winning essay here.