PRINTCollege student runs for mayor of Columbia
Area student aspires to make the leap from physics major to mayor
Katie Wood
Sean O’Day, 23, with his canine roommate Marley, is taking civic duty to a new level. For O’Day, running for mayor began as a joke but became a serious ambition. He says he’s received a lot of positive reinforcement from Columbians.
February 11, 2010 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Sean O’Day lives in a little house off Old 63 with two cats, two dogs and three roommates. Surrounded by the trappings of a college residence — beer cans included — O’Day, 23, is combating the stereotype of an apathetic young adult by running in Columbia’s April mayoral election. Kittens scamper over bookshelves and tables as O’Day, a physics major at Moberly Area Community College’s Columbia campus, reclines in a kitchen chair and talks about his decision to run.
“I mentioned the idea of running, and it kind of took hold the more it got repeated,” O’Day says. “I feel it’s a civic duty to get involved, and I have some ideas that can benefit the community.”
O’Day says his major areas of concern include government transparency, civil liberties and fiscal and environmental responsibility. He strongly opposes the City Council initiative that would allow security cameras downtown, which is also on the April ballot. He believes the cameras will push crime indoors and only catch incidental criminals. “The big issue for me is government transparency,” O’Day says. “Maybe I’d be all right with cameras if they were available to the public.”
Although his age might give him a different perspective, O’Day’s campaign manager, Phillip Berrong, is quick to point out that college-age residents are not their target voters. “We want to keep in mind that (the colleges) are a huge part of the economy of this town, but we’re looking to represent the permanent citizens of Columbia first and foremost,” Berrong says.
O’Day’s older sister Caitlin O’Day, the second oldest in the family and a Kansas City resident, agrees that his age should not be the main issue, and voters should not underestimate her brother. One of six children, O’Day says his family in Hallsville supports his campaign but is not actively involved.
O’Day works in a management position at Patricia’s Food and says his job skills will help him lead: He started as a grocery bagger in fall 2003 and worked his way up. Science and math are his strong suits, and O’Day says those problem-solving skills will come in handy as mayor. If elected, he would continue going to school while taking on his new duties.
“I would of course cut down on my course load a little bit,” O’Day says of his current schedule. “I would absolutely do both; I don’t see why not. It is just a question of how much I would do the one (school).”
Campaigning through forums and Facebook has been stressful, as has the invasion of the local media that began the day after O’Day filed on Jan. 21. KOMU, Channel 8, posted his cell phone number online, and a reporter called Patricia’s to interview him while he was working. For now, O’Day is adjusting and building his campaign.
The Columbia Heart Beat blogger Mike Martin says that, though he hasn’t met O’Day, if the candidate conducts his campaign with class, locals will respect his candidacy. “If he takes himself seriously, sure they will,” Martin says. “The questions the voter should ask are: How much involvement has he had in city politics? How much knowledge and understanding of how City Hall works does he have?”
Third Ward Council Representative Karl Skala wrote in an e-mail that from what he has read so far, he and O’Day agree on many issues including the current council advice and consent bill and the downtown cameras.
“Age should have little to do with it, though it often does,” Skala wrote. “After all, Albert Einstein made his greatest contributions to physics as a very young man.”
There’s a 53-year age gap between Sean O’Day and current mayor Darwin Hindman — what other differences do they have?
MAYOR DARWIN HINDMAN
Age: 76
Height: 5’6”
Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio
Favorite local hang-out: Home
Political idol: Barack Obama
Hobbies: bicycling, mandolin, public service
Favorite band: Norm Ruebling or Iron Weed
SEAN O’DAY
Age: 23
Height: 6’1”
Birthplace: Lincoln, Neb.
Favorite local hang-out: The Blue Fugue
Political idol: Jacob Javits
Hobbies: writing, playing music, studying architecture
Favorite band: Explodacon
Age is just a number
These Show-Me State politicians didn’t let their age keep them from winning elections
Scott Faughn
Age he became mayor: 22
In 2004, a year after he earned the right to legally drink, Faughn was elected mayor of Poplar Bluff. Three years later, he was convicted of felony forgery charges for having his hand in the cookie jar of local funds.
Christopher “Kit” Bond
Age he became governor: 33
In 1973, Bond became the youngest governor in Missouri history. He held the position for 28 years before becoming Missouri’s senior U.S. senator.
Clint Zweifel
Age he became treasurer: 35
As state treasurer, it’s all a numbers game for Clint Zweifel, and at 35 he is the youngest in more than a century to hold the position. He was sworn in on Jan. 12, 2009.
Chase D. Waggoner
Age he became city councilman: 23
Waggoner has represented the First Ward in Lebanon, Mo., since 2006 and expresses concern on his MySpace site that there are no eligible ladies in his constituency.
My opinion is that it's great he has decided to run. My hope is that even if he is not successful, he remains involved in his community.
Best of luck to him!
Posted by Robert Craig on Feb 17, 2010 at 3:14 p.m. (Report Comment)