THRIVING UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP. RIGHT AFTER GRADUATING FROM
BUTLER UNIVERSITY, CHRIS HAD
QUITE A JOB INTERVIEW.
A MAYORAL CAMPAIGN IN HIS
HOMETOWN OF FRANKFURT.
>> I LOVE MY HOMETOWN WITH ALL
MY HEART.
MY HEART. FRANKFURT HAS MADE ME WHO I AM
TODAY.
TODAY. I'VE LEARNED SOME OF LIFE'S
GREATEST LESSONS WITHIN THESE
CITY LIMITS.
CITY LIMITS. I'VE HAD MY HEARTBROKEN WITHIN
THINKS CITY LIMITS.
I AM WHO I AM BECAUSE OF
FRANKFURT, INDIANA, AND THAT'S
WHERE IT ALL STOARTD FOR ME.
>> FRANKFURT WHICH IS ABOUT AN
HOUR NORTHWESTIVE INAPPEARLESS
HAS A POPULATION OF JUST MORE
THAN 16,000.
THAN 16,000. McBARNS EARNED 75% OF THE VOTE
IN 2011 AND SAYS HE'LL NEVER
FORGET SPENDING THAT MOMENT WITH
HIS MOTHER ON ELECTION NIGHT.
>> SHE WAS WITH ME THROUGH ALL
THOSE TIMES, AND LOOKING OVER AT
HER AND SEEING HER REACTION TO
THOSE NUMBERS AS THEY ROLLED IN
KNOWING WE OVERCAME WHAT WE
OVERCAME TOGETHER AND NOW I WAS
GOING TO GET A CHANCE TO TAKE
THOSE LESSONS AND MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN THE PEOPLE AROUND
ME AND MY COMMUNITY.
I'LL NEVER FORGET THAT MOMENT.
>> McBARNS BECAME THE YOUNGEST
MAYOR IN THE CITY'S HISTORY AND
BY ALL ACCOUNTS THE YOUNGEST
MAYOR SERVING ANYWHERE IN
INDIANA.
INDIANA. IT SEEMS THERE'S NO ONE BETTER
TO MOTIVATE YOUNG PEOPLE TO VOTE
THAN McBARNS.
THAN McBARNS. ON A RECENT FRIDAY HE VISITED A
GROUP OF 2nd GRADERS AT BLUE
RIDGE PRIMARY.
RIDGE PRIMARY. >> I'M GOING TO BE MISS HAWKINS
CLASS?
CLASS? >> YES.
>> YES. >> VERY GOOD.
HOW, GUYS.
HOW, GUYS. HOW ARE YOU TODAY?
I'M CHRIS.
I'M CHRIS. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I DO?
WHAT'S YOUR GUESS, BUD?
THAT'S A GREAT ANSWER.
THAT'S A GREAT ANSWER.
THAT'S A BIG PART OF WHAT I DO.
I TAKE CARE OF FRANKFURT.
OFFICIALLY, GUYS, I AM THE MAYOR
OF THE 70 OF FRANKFURT.
CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT THAT.
>> ALTHOUGH THIS GROUP IS NOT
OLD ENOUGH TO VOTE, McBARNS
SAYS THEY'RE AT A PERFECT AGE TO
BEGIN LEARNING ABOUT
CITIZENSHIP.
CITIZENSHIP. HE SAYS HE HOPES TO BRING
RESIDENTS TO THE POLLS BY
ENGAGING THEM IN WHAT'S GOING ON
IN THEIR COMMUNITY.
>> I TELL THEM TO GET INFORMED,
YOU KNOW.
YOU KNOW. READ THE NEWSPAPER.
TALK TO THEIR FRIENDS ABOUT
WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE LOCAL
LEVEL, THE STATE LEVEL, THE
NATIONAL LEVEL.
NATIONAL LEVEL. WATCH THE NEWS AT NIGHT.
AND FORM YOUR OWN OPINIONS.
>> McBARNS SAYS THAT'S WHAT
MADE THIS COUNTRY GREAT.
IT'S NOT THE GOVERNMENT; IT'S
THE PEOPLE.
THE PEOPLE. McBARNS HOLD STRONG THE VALUES
OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY BUT SAYS
HE WANTS TO BE REMEMBERED AS A
LEADER IN PUBLIC POLICY, NOT AS
A POLITICIAN.
A POLITICIAN. >> I WANT TO BE REMEMBERED AS A
PERSON WHO TOOK THE TIME TO MAKE
A DIFFERENCE IN ANY LIFE THAT
STEPPED THROUGH THESE OFFICE
DOORS, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT A
MAYOR SHOULD DO.
HE GETS THE MOST OUT OF PEOPLE
AROUND HIM, AND I'M STRIVING TO
GET THE MOST OUT OF THE PEOPLE
OF FRANKFURT.
OF FRANKFURT. HOW ARE YOU TODAY, GIRL?
>> AGE DOESN'T SEEM TO MATTER IN FRANKFURT.
FRANKFURT. RESIDENTS HERE EMBRACE THEIR
YOUNG MAYOR.
YOUNG MAYOR. >> IT'S ABOUT TIME WE GET SOME
YOUTH IN HERE BECAUSE MOST OF US
ARE GETTING TO THE AGE WHERE
WE'RE LIVING BACK 60 YEARS AGO.
YOU CAN'T DO THAT.
YOU HAVE TO LIVE TODAY.
THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
>> IN JUST A YEAR HE HAS ADDED
FLOWER BASKETS DOWNTOWN, SPURRED
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND HELPED
START PLANS FOR A FRANKFURT IVY
TECH CAMPUS.
TECH CAMPUS. >> THINGS HAVE GONE DOWNHILL FOR
QUITE A WHILE.
I KNEW SOME OF HIS PLANS.
A LOT OF HIS VISION HE EXPRESSED
TO ME.
TO ME. I FELT CONFIDENT THINGS WERE
GOING TO CHANGE.
AND IT HAS.
>> VIRTUE HAS SEEN HIS BUSINESS
DOUBLE IN THE TIME McBARNS HAS
BEEN MAYOR.
BEEN MAYOR. >> HE BLEW ME AWAY WHEN I MET
WITH HIM AND I SAW HE WAS THE
REAL DEAL, AND I'VE EXPRESSED MY
KCH DENSE IN FRANKFURT TO OTHER
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. >> McBARNS IS UP FOR
REELECTION FOR 2015 BUT RIGHT
NOW HE SAYS HE'S AT COMPLETE
PEACE WITH WHAT HE IS DOING.
>> JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE YOUNG,
JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE 20 YEARS
OLD, JUST BECAUSE YOU ARE 18
YEARS OLD DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU
CANNOT HAVE A TRULY DRAMATIC
EFFECT IN THE PEOPLE'S LIVES
AROUND YOU.
AROUND YOU. LOOK AT THE SPEARCHESES YOU'VE
BEEN THROUGH IN LIFE, LEARN
THOSE, GARNER STRENGTH FROM
THOSE EXPERIENCES AND USE THAT
TO BETTER THE WORLD.
DON'T LET YOUR AGE DEFINE YOU.
DEFINE YOUR AGE.
DON'T JUST BE A PRODUCT OF YOUR
ENVIRONMENT.
ENVIRONMENT. RATHER, MAKE YOUR ENVIRONMENT A
PRODUCT OF YOURSELF.