THE NEW MAYOR OF HILLSDALE, MICHIGAN

I wonder if he's a Democrat? Let's see, he's motivated, he didn't file a lawsuit after he lost the Student Council election, he's willing to cooperate with all people involved in government, he had a real job, and he spent his own money to get elected. Nah, definitely not a Democrat.

Student Council Loser Wins Big As Teen Mayor

Hillsdale -- Michael Sessions' political career had an inauspicious start: When he ran for student council this year, he lost.

Now he's about to be mayor.

Sessions, an 18-year-old high school student, won a long-shot write-in campaign this week to oust Hillsdale's 51-year-old mayor.

"I just thought I'd give it a shot," Sessions said with a smile. "I hoped I'd win. But I didn't really know what would happen."

The election swept Sessions -- indeed, all of this usually staid southern Michigan city -- into an intense spotlight Wednesday. So many television stations showed up at the city's high school to interview Sessions that the superintendent pulled him from class. After he got home, a giant satellite truck lumbered up the narrow road in front of his house.

County officials expected to make the results official today. Their unofficial tally had Sessions winning over the incumbent, Douglas Ingles, 732 to 668.