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Florida Boy Becomes Nebraska's Boys Town Mayor

BOYS TOWN, NE (CBSMiami/AP) — A boy from South Florida is the newest mayor in a Nebraska community.

Sam Saintizaire, 17, of Greenacres, Florida, was elected earlier this month as the 114th mayor of the incorporated village of Boys Town, on the western edge of Omaha. The new vice mayor is Emily Colling, of Omaha.

Saintizaire is active in track, football and basketball and is a student council member. Colling sings in the Boys Town choir and is on the honor roll.

The Rev. Edward Flanagan, who founded Boys Town, conceived the self-government system in 1926 as a tool to build character, citizenship and a sense of community.

The process was made famous in the 1938 movie "Boys Town." Mickey Rooney portrayed Whitey Marsh, a tough young boy who turns his life around and becomes mayor of Boys Town.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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