Adam Brannon ’07, the newly elected mayor of Bellefontaine,  talks with Dr. Freed and former U.S. senator Michael DeWine after fall commencement.

Adam Brannon, a May 2007 graduate, didn’t do the usual job search with résumés and applications. He picked the job he wanted, and then he campaigned for it – literally. The political science major set his sights on becoming the next mayor of Bellefontaine, Ohio.

As the Democratic candidate, Brannon beat an independent and the incumbent Republican mayor in November’s election. At age 22, he will assume office Jan. 1, 2008, becoming the youngest mayor of Bellefontaine and one of a handful of mayors in the United States under the age of 25.

Brannon campaigned door-to-door, introducing himself to the community, a cost-effective strategy since he had far less money for advertising than his Republican opponent. He admitted that he will have much to learn at first, but he said he has faith in himself and that his ideas are right for the community.

Brannon said he first became attracted to politics when he was in seventh grade after job-shadowing the then-mayor of Bellefontaine, but he lost interest by the time he was in high school. He came to The University of Findlay in 2003 intending to become a history teacher and football coach, but a class in “American Politics,” taught by Associate Professor Paul Chwialkowski, Ph.D., reignited his interest.

He noted that he received one-on-one attention from the professors in the political science program, and also from an unexpected source, UF president DeBow Freed, Ph.D., who taught a political science course in 2006. “Dr. Freed encouraged me to (run for mayor) and that was appreciated,” Brannon said. “If it hadn’t been for my education at Findlay, I wouldn’t be where I’m at now, I know that for certain,” he remarked.