Well, my brother Harry Zikas is the Mayor of Alpha, NJ so I realized that it was possible to run for an elected office at a young age. I had gone to some council meetings and I realized that no one was running for one of the positions so I took a chance and ran for Councilman. I really just wanted to make Alpha a better place and I saw the opportunity.

Given your age, what is the most difficult part of your job?

People think I can't do the job well because I am so young and because I have to juggle school (college) and the job.

What is your favorite color ending in "urple"?

Blue

What was the best part of running for Mayor?

To get my name on the ballot I needed to get a petition signed by 20 people (registered voters) and I went door-to-door to speak with the residents. It was cool because I got to meet some of the people of Alpha and hear what they had to say.

What is your favorite pizza topping?

Pepperoni

What are some of the activities or public service interests you had in High School?

I really liked student council and being part of the Key Club. We got to do community service activities outside of school. I liked that I had a chance to actively help out whether it was cleaning a park or helping a senior citizen.

If there was one book you could make every teenager read, what would it be?

"Orp" it was a real cool book about a couple kids that did something.

Which falls faster a brick award or a bag of marbles?

I would say the Brick Award.

What do you see as the most pressing issue facing teens in this country?

Young adults in this country are not as active as they could be.

What is your favorite quote?

"If you always do what you always did. You always get what you always got." -John R. Ashton

What is your favorite reality show?

I'm a reality show junkie, so it's hard to pick one. But if I had to pick one it would probably be Laguna Beach. But I don't think the new season is going to be as good.

Of the following which would you choose: Rocks, Paper, or Scissors?

Rock. Rock always wins.

How many pies are in a baker's dozen?

Thirteen

Paper or plastic?

I'm going to go with paper. Even though I don't get it at the supermarket.

What is the best part of your job?

There are two 'best parts' of my job. Half is that I actually face the issues in my town. And the other half is that it makes me proud to sit in front of everyone at a meeting as a representative that the people elected.

If you could have one super power what would it be? Why?

I would like the power to throw fire. It seems like it would be real cool. I just wouldn't want to burn anything down.

Would you rather go to jail for 3 years or win the lottery?

Win the lottery. Even if it was only $5.

Favorite movie starring Keanue Reeves?

Speed

Who was your favorite teacher? Why?

My 12th grade teacher for Consumer Math, Kevin Kane was my favorite teacher. He was able to be cool guy and teach at the same time. He setup cool projects like a supermarket game to teach us financial responsibility.

In 2004, 47% of 18-24 year-old citizens voted (66% of citizens 25+ voted). Why do you think there was such a large difference between these groups?

The reason is that younger voters don't like the hassle of registering to vote. Whenever I talk to 18 year-olds about voting they are really excited about it until they find out that it takes a little work to register.

In 1971, people under the age of 21 were not allowed to vote until the 26th amendment lowered the voting age to 18. Do you think the voting age should be lowered to 16?

Absolutely, I think it would get more young adults involved in government.

What is one piece of advice you would give young adults who want to get civically engaged?

Go for it and try to get your friends to do it with you. Try helping out around election day to get people to register to vote.

What is some advice for young people attending a town hall meeting or school board meeting for the first time?

Sit in the back corner and listen. The first one I went to was a little boring because it was so long but I really learned a lot about how the system works. If they say something they should make sure they know what they are talking about.