Mayor for a Day Winners Announced

Mountain View, Calif. - The City of Mountain View is pleased to announce the winners of the Mayor for a Day essay contest. They are:

Elementary School Mayor for a Day
Hannah Kirschner Ishan Kushan
5th grade, Theuerkauf Elementary School

Middle School Mayor for a Day
Ishan Kaushal
7th grade, Graham Middle School

Mayor Ellen Kamei selected the two winning Mayor for a Day entries, with one elementary and one middle school-aged recipient. She will recognize Hannah Kirschner as the Elementary School Mayor for a Day at the Tuesday, Oct. 28 City Council meeting. In her essay, Kirschner stated, "If I were mayor for a day, I would try to make it fun, free, kind, and non-judgmental." She also wrote about wanting to give everybody a chance to express themselves without any harsh comments or judgment and for parents to get a day off at work in which they can "either talk together or have high-quality, social time together with friends or family."

Also at the meeting, Mayor Kamei will recognize Ishan Kaushal as the Middle School Mayor for a Day. In his essay, Kaushal wrote about how many of us are glued to our screens, whether it's for school, work, or scrolling endlessly through apps, and how constant screen time harms both our mental and physical health. He noted, "If I were mayor of Mountain View for a day, I'd rename our city from 'Mountain View' to 'Mountain Go' for the day, to remind everyone not just to view our wonderful surroundings, but to go explore, go move, and go connect."

"I am impressed by the inspiring responses given by Mountain View's youth about a problem they would solve if they were mayor for a day," said Mayor Kamei. "Through the essay contest, I wanted to encourage young people to learn about local government and how it directly impacts the health and vitality of our community."

The contest was open to elementary- and middle school-aged Mountain View residents who wrote up to a 500-word essay about one problem they would solve if they were mayor for a day.

For more information about the Mayor for a Day contest, visit MountainView.gov/MayorforaDay.