(April 29, 2024) Annapolis, Md. – The Maryland Municipal League (MML), which serves as the collective voice of 160 municipal governments, announced the 2024 “If I were Mayor” Essay Contest winners Friday, May 26, at the Maryland State House. Students shared their thoughts on how they would lead their city or town as Mayor and were recognized by Governor Wes Moore. 

Utilizing this year’s theme – Inspiring Leadership in Your City/Town/Community – students wrote about improving youth sports complexes, creating more public spaces for community engagement, and inspiring others to use their voice.  

“When you all win, Maryland wins,” said Governor Wes Moore in addressing awardees. “When your ideas come true, you achieve Maryland’s dreams. We need you to succeed. We will do anything in our power to help you succeed. All the things you wrote about, when those things come true, we’ll all be better for it.” 

This year’s 2024 “If I were Mayor, I would…” essay winners are: 

Bianca Prosekova, Worcester Preparatory School (Ms. Shimko) - District 1, Berlin 

Aiden Whitby, Church Hill Elementary (Mr. Taylor) District 2 - Church Hill 

Charlie Hoehlein, Francis Scott Key Elementary #76 (Ms. Gauthier) - District 3, Baltimore City 

Ruby Richardson, Lothian Elementary (Ms. Knowlton) - District 4 

Callie Walker, Saint Mary’s School (Ms. O’Hanlon) - District 5, Rockville 

Fiona Bybel, Middletown Elementary (Ms. Briscoe) - District 6, Middletown 

Rylee Doerr, Grantsville Elementary (Ms. Frantz) - District 7, Grantsville  

Gabriel Pricepa, Williamsport Elementary (Ms. Twigg) - District 8, Williamsport 

Hazeezah Azeez, Al Huda School (Ms. Qayyum) - District 9, College Park 

Alexandra Spencer, Chesapeake City Elementary (Ms. Iacona) - District 10, Chesapeake City 

Yodit Willet, Runnymede Elementary (Ms. Smith) - District 11, Westminster 

After the ceremony, MML CEO Theresa Kuhns shared her thoughts on the program: “In its 24th year, the If I Were Mayor essay contest has now educated over 50,000 fourth grade Marylanders. This legacy program is often the first introduction to public service, and it’s a joy to both learn from and witness our future Mayors in action.” 

The contest is sponsored by Maryland Municipal League in partnership with the Maryland Mayors Association and Chesapeake Employers Insurance. Essays were judged by a team of municipal officials based on: essay relation to contest topic; displayed knowledge about municipal government and the role of a mayor; creativity; and proper use of grammar. For more information, visit www.mdmunicipal.org.