High School Senior Files To Run For Round Rock Mayor In May Election

ROUND ROCK, TX — He's spry, he's youthful, and he's ready to be mayor.

Josh Couture, a senior at Cedar Ridge High School, has officially filled to be on the ballot for the upcoming mayoral election. Couture told KXAN he was inspired to run for the mayor's seat after witnessing the divisiveness that marked the presidential general election in November.

“I just want to change the way people view politics, and the way people view their government,” the 18-year-old told the news station. “I want there to be kind of an open-door philosophy, that it’s transparent between the people and the government — people need to feel like they’re making the decisions.”

While he acknowledged his youth might be viewed by some as a disadvantage, Couture ticked off some personal attributes he sees as positive dynamics for the role he pursues: "I'm very ambitious, I'm very spry, I'm youthful. I'm very prepared to learn as much as I can, " he told KXAN.

Following his filing, Couture acknowledged on Twitter feeling a mix stew of emotions running from giddy to nervous. His hashtag: #JoshForMayor.

Couture hasn't rolled out his platform just yet, but on Twitter has already vowed he won't be spearheading construction of an ice rink of the style that drove the fictional town of Partridge into the ground by the equally fictional, 18-year-old former mayor of the city. In the series "Parks and Recreation," the mayoral character from the city's past was impeached after a mere two months in office after running the city's finances into the ground following construction of a winter sports complex dubbed "Ice Town."

Even 20 years after the fictional mayor's impeachment, residents derisively refer to him as "Ice Clown." Couture vowed he had no illusions of such grandiose, budget-jeopardizing municipal undertakings.

"I feel the need to address that I have no future plans for an Ice Town project in Round Rock," Couture announced via Twitter, tongue firmly in cheek.

The precious candidate is a member of the National Honor Society and has worked the polls at his school during the general election. His post-high school plans include majoring in government at the University of Texas at Austin, he told the news station.

So far, the young man has emerged as the sole challenger for Mayor Pro Tem Craig Morgan, who also has filed to run for mayor. When reached for comment by the news station, he didn't take a direct swipe at Couture's inexperience in governing, but sort of inferred it: "I look forward to a good, clean race, and we'll focus on my campaign and my issues," he said. "I think experience really is important in this race."

Ouch. That was stealthy blow.

The last day to file for a place on the ballot is Feb. 17, with the election scheduled for May 6.

The mayoral post in Round Rock is up for grabs after longtime Mayor Alan McGraw opted not to run for a fourth term. McGraw has run unopposed for the past three terms, first elected to the position in 2008. He's opted to focus on his law practice and business interests rather than run again.

Couture isn't the first young buck in the Austin area to emerge poised to run for office, although he is the first going straight for the mayor's job. University of Texas sophomore Victor To, 19, ran for the Place 2 seat on the Pflugerville City Council last November, losing to Jeff Marsh in a runoff election.

The youngest person ever elected for the Austin City Council is current District 4 councilman Greg Casar, who first secured the office in 2014 when he was a mere 25 years old.

>>> Read the full story at KXAN

Photo of Josh Couture via Twitter