OHS senior Aaron Spring recently announced that he plans to run for town council of Ossining this November. If Spring were to come out victorious, he would be the youngest town council member elected in United States history. Spring was kind enough to sit down with The Current to expound upon his goals and plans for Ossining.

TC: When did you really start getting interested in politics?

AS: The idea of serving the public is something that always interested me, and I realized that politics would be a great medium of carrying out this servitude. I really got interested in the nitty-gritty of politics during the 2012 election, and have been in love ever since.

TC:What are some obstacles facing Ossining in your opinion?

AS: One problem we face is very high property taxes, especially at a town and county level. Despite the fact that property values themselves are down nearly 20% in the last six years we face huge huge infrastructure issues, and in order to change infrastructure and roads we have to find money, which would usually involve raising taxes, but rather than raising taxes, we just have to reallocate some of the funds in the budget. This way, we can work to cut taxes and create roads while working on creating infrastructure. Another obstacle we face is the underachievement of African American and Hispanic students in OHS. This is just not a town issue, it’s a national issue, and we need to address this at a young age in kindergarten and first grade, so everyone has an equal opportunity to learn and truly live the American dream.

TC: What are some goals that you would like to accomplish if you were elected as a town council member?

AS: One major goal is to lower property taxes because I feel that that is one of the most important issues. Another goal is to really push for tax exemptions with the school board. Despite the fact that the school board and town council are different, the town council, village, and school board can work together. For example, a veteran’s tax exemption was recently passed by the school board for veterans. Consequently, I believe we should continue to pass other tax exemptions. For instance, if you do 25 hours of community service picking up litter, you should be eligible for tax exemptions that way. Another goal I have in mind is to close the achievement gap and that means once again working with the school board and the town to fight for Hispanic and African American educational improvement. A lot of critics say it can’t be done, but if we truly live in a society where town can collaborate with school and village, this can easily be done.

TC: What differentiates you from the candidates running against you?

AS: Well, I’m young. I’m 18 and can bring energy to the table. I don’t have a family to go home to every night to take care of. I don’t have these obligations like a middle-aged person would have. I’m going to school–school is my 9 to 5 job, and it’s not even 9 to 5 which will give me even more time to write and pass legislation and work on my job. I don’t have the ties of a 9 to 5, I don’t have the ties of “I have to get my child to the doctor,” I am very flexible with my schedule.

TC: One might point at your age as a weakness regarding your political experience. How do you respond to those people?

AS: Throughout my four years of high school I have been actively involved in leading several organizations and clubs. I founded Ossining High School’s Republican club, and we have been able to complete multiple acts of community service and outreach to the Ossining community. I firmly believe these leadership roles have prepared me for a position in town council. I myself have been giving back to the community since I was five years old, helping on a Vermont farm. Giving back to the community is something I take very seriously and something I pride myself on, and something I would be able to carry out if I were elected to town council.

The Current wishes Spring the best of luck in all of his future political endeavors, and as Spring said, “This fall, vote for Spring if you want true change for Ossining!”