Reed Sloan, at 19, may be the youngest ever elected to office

Posted December 19, 2018 at 9:24 am

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Albany native Reed Sloan, who is believed to be–at 19–the youngest person ever elected to the Albany City Council, despite his youth, is no stranger to politics in Albany and Clinton County.

Although despite his youth and first time political experience, he said he felt some pressure but “I know I can do the job, I get caught up on things and will do the best of my ability to help the city.”

Sloan is a 2017 graduate of Clinton County High School, son of Mark and Angela Sloan.

The newest and youngest-to-be councilman comes from something of a line of local political figures. His grandfather, Ivan Sloan, served as a Clinton County Fiscal Court Magistrate, as did his uncle, John Sloan. Also, his dad Mark is also a past member of the Albany City Council.

Sloan is a self-employed businessman, owner and operator of Albany Nursery and Landscaping.

Since childhood, Sloan said, he always wanted to run for office, saying he came a lot to city hall as a child with his father when he (Mark) was a member of the council.

He said that to run for office here, he decided to not go to college but start his own business and stay in Albany.

“I have a family history here, I love Albany,” said Sloan, adding that he saw so many people his age moving away and he wanted to stay home and work to help bring opportunities to help young people find jobs at home.

More water lines in the county, especially along the 127 bypass, will be a main priority in Sloan’s initial term on the council, along with improved city streets and overall infrastructure. “We have got to look at ways of bringing more revenue in and taking a hard look at each year’s audit to figure out what needs to be done.”

“I think supplying water along the bypass would definitely allow more business to come in,” he said.

Sloan said he felt the primary responsibilities of the council was to try and make the city better and make sure funds go where they are needed and to maintain infrastructure, such as streets, water lines and equipment.

Sloan said he felt the incoming council would work together very well, noting there were people of all age groups represented, with youth and experienced members, saying, “I think we can get some good ideas out of that situation.”

Sloan also thanked the citizens of Albany for giving him the chance to sit on the council saying he would make sure he would do the best he could to be a good elected official for the city of Albany and its citizens.