Teens in office.

• Author: Press, Jessica
• Position: NATIONAL - Brandon Paulin, Susan Wu and Katie Cox

You have to be at least 35 to run for president, but younger people can get involved in local politics. Meet four teens who did.

Brandon Paulin

MAYOR, INDIAN HEAD, MARYLAND

ELECTED AT 19

Last spring, at just 19, Brandon Paulin was elected mayor of Indian Head, Maryland, a town of 4,000--making him the youngest person ever to hold that office in Maryland's history.

Paulin first got involved in local government at age 11. "Back then, Indian Head had no signs at crosswalks telling drivers to stop for pedestrians," he recalls. "So I started going to town meetings and addressing the council members--and within a month, we had new signs."

He credits his teachers with encouraging his early interest in politics. "I had great mentors, starting with my first-grade teacher, who emphasized the importance of community," says Paulin, who's also a political science major at the College of Southern Maryland.

When Paulin ran for office last year, he was up against an incumbent who had served as mayor on and off since before Paulin was born, as well as another former mayor. But Paulin believes his age helped him.

"I think people were excited to see a young person taking a step up," he says. On Election Day, Paulin won more than twice as many votes as the incumbent.

Now he earns an annual mayoral salary of $6,000 and juggles classes with council meetings. His Twitter feed includes legislative updates as well as posts about his fantasy football team. He's gotten used to some friendly teasing. (A common wise-crack: "We'd better wrap up the meeting. It's the mayor's bedtime.")

Paulin has important goals for his four-year term, including attracting new businesses to the area. Under his leadership, the town has already restored a park and converted what were once railroad tracks into a 13-mile-long hiking and biking trail.

Paulin's advice to people who covet the mayor's office, or those just eager to be more active in their communities: It's never too early to engage. "If you want to build a future that you want to live in," he says, "you have to start now."

Susan Wu

COMMUNITY BOARD MEMBER NEW YORK, NEW YORK

APPOINTED AT 17

Susan Wu was a high school junior when she learned last year that New York State had passed a bill allowing 16- and 17-year-olds to join their local community boards.

Intrigued, Wu, who lives in New York City, did some online research and learned that board members act as advocates for their neighborhoods. They advise on issues ranging from how...