Teenager Hopes For City Council Victory For Birthday

ROCKVILLE, Md. (WUSA) -- Talk about young people getting involved in the political process! 

One Rockville City Council candidate is raising eyebrows, not because of his positions or smarts, but because of his occupation: high school student.

"Well the first question people always ask, 'Are you old enough to run?'" says Waleed Ovase, a senior at Richard Montgomery High School.

It only takes a few minutes to realize that this young man is wise, serious and informed beyond his years.

"I'm 17 years old."

"Can you legally run?" 9NEWS NOW asked him.

"I can legally run because my birthday is before election day."

And when is that birthday? Friday.

9NEWS NOW pulled Ovase out of class to interview him.

"When people ask me, 'Ok, you're too young, how can you possibly do this?" I try to show them that through my ideas. I'm trying to pose, my ideas about civility and accountability and transparency, that I am serious about trying to help Rockville."

Ovase has already convinced people like Drew Powell, a telecommunications consultant who ran for Mayor two years ago.

"He's got one of the best organized campaigns that I've seen in years here in Rockville. He's going to have all the polling places covered. He's raised more money than many of the other candidates."

There's an old saying that all politics are local, and one of the local issues Ovase is working on is a fence. When Montgomery College installed it, he says it cut off neighborhood access to the campus and bus routes. And Ovase says the council didn't do a darn thing about it.

"The opening had been there 40 years, and suddenly council wasn't there, they weren't present. To me, at least, they weren't interested in keeping it open."

But one of Ovase's biggest challenges may be voter apathy.

"Have you ever heard of Waleed Ovase?" 9NEWS NOW asked people at the Rockville Town Center.  

"I don't follow local politics at all," was the all too common response.

But that also means Ovase only needs about 2400 votes to win.

He is also pushing affordable housing, economic development and a rescue for small businesses struggling at the Rockville Town Center.

The Mayor says she's impressed, but no one has done any polling to see how residents are receiving this soon to be 18-year-old candidate.