Teen not only votes but runs for office in first election

A UMNS photo by Allysa Adams High school senior Devin Mauney is running for a school board seat in Tucson.

Devin Mauney turned 18 years old on Sept. 11 and is looking forward to voting in his first presidential election Nov. 2.

He is thrilled to be able to cast his first congressional ballot in Tucson, Ariz., but more important, he will go to his polling place that Tuesday morning and see his own name on the ballot.

University High School senior Devin Mauney is also "School Board Candidate Devin Mauney" for the Tucson Unified School District. He is one of eight candidates on the ballot running to fill three school board positions.

"I believe there needs to be a student voice on the board," says Mauney, who filed his nomination petitions in July. "Issues that affect students’ lives, their curriculum, and their schools need to be looked at from a student’s perspective."

Much of his inspiration comes from volunteering at Christ Church United Methodist in Tucson since the early ‘90s.

"Devin was always a leader among the youth…" says the Rev. Rebecca Oakes Long, his pastor for seven years. "He’s well liked. And he has great respect for adults." As a pre-teen, he sang in the youth choir and currently plays saxophone in the Praise Team on Sunday mornings.

A UMNS photo by Allysa Adams Devin Mauney stuffs envelopes at the headquarters of a Tucson congressman.

Mauney is a member of the United Methodist Commission on Communication, was a delegate to the 2004 Western Jurisdictional Conference, and represented the jurisdiction at the United Methodist Youth Organization meeting in Nashville, Tenn., this year. He was in Pittsburgh when the 2004 General Conference approved creation of the Division on Ministries with Young People.

Mauney’s candidacy has generated an unusual amount of local news media coverage. A newspaper story in the Arizona Daily Star plus exposure on the local network television stations has given him more visibility than any of the other candidates. "I think I can win, and I think I can make a difference for all the students," he says. The Tucson Unified School District has more than 120 schools with more than 60,000 students.

"I’ve been going to all the meetings that even some of the candidates don’t end up at and some of the incumbents don’t end up at," Mauney says. "I’m just trying to hear what’s going on in the district and what people need for the district."

The support of his mother, Meleah Whetstone, and brother, Logan Mauney, has been critical. "They’re really involved with the campaign," Devin says. "I know I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing without them."

If elected, Mauney will stay in Tucson to attend the University of Arizona, where he already has a scholarship. If not, he’ll consider attending out-of-state schools. The school board is facing some major decisions, including replacing a superintendent who resigned under pressure this year.

*Athey is director of communications for the United Methodist Church’s Desert Southwest Annual Conference.

News media contact: Tim Tanton, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.

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