Georgia teen makes history with bid for city council

A Georgia teenager is making history by running for city council.

Mary-Pat Hector, 19, is on the ballot for the Stonecrest City Council after elections officials ruled her qualified this week. Hector is now the youngest woman to vie for elected office in Georgia, according to ajc.com.

The Spelman College student has been a community activist since a young age. And now she wants to use those efforts to serve the newly incorporated south DeKalb County city.

Hector, the founder of Youth In Action, is the national youth director for the National Action Network. She said she was inspired to speak out against violence and to support initiatives that would provide jobs and other resources benefiting young people.

Hector’s eligibility for the Stonecrest council was challenged by an opponent citing age preventing her from being a candidate, reported gpbnews.org.

“My life has been centered around making my community a livable community where all citizens can feel safe!” Hector posted on her Facebook page.

Election Day for the city’s first mayor and five council members is March 21.