YORK- Joe Burgess, an 18-year-old who plans to study chemical engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln this fall, may be among the youngest county commissioners ever elected in Nebraska history after his recent win in the District 5 Republican Primary for a seat on the York County Board of Commissioners. With no other names appearing on the ballot, Burgess is exceedingly likely to win.

Burgess' father had previously considered running for the seat, but felt he was too busy with work. He had joked that Burgess should run for the seat, prompting his son to approach Commissioner Daniel Grotz about what serving on the board would entail. Burgess also found himself attending county board meetings, where he spoke with current District 5 Commissioner Jack Sikes, who encouraged Burgess to run.

Leading up the election, Burgess said he did a lot of door-knocking, ultimately allowing him to beat his two Republican opponents, a firefighter and a 79-year-old retired farmer. Burgess said he looks forward to working on issues relating to roads, and plans to set aside his summer to focus on learning about the county budget. With school starting in just two months, Burgess said he's confident he'll be able to handle both commitments.

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