MATTHEWS, N.C. — Ken McCool’s Wednesday evenings are usually pretty busy.

He gets his team together to create videos for TikTok.

“I look at these trending sounds, trending hashtags, trending dance videos…anything that’s popular I really just write down,” team member Julia Drago says.

Creating an account, getting a team, and making videos is a mixture of fun and business.

“It’s a great way to connect with younger people. I’m just helping bridge that gap,” McCool says.

McCool is not a regular 22-year-old though.

He serves on the Board of Commissioners for the town of Matthews, making him the youngest public official in North Carolina.

“My first year in office has been a pandemic, economic hardships, a lot of tough conversations about how we’re bridging the gap about what we’re doing with the future generations,” he says. “Then we had the police brutality, so we had to address that from a town perspective, so it’s been an interesting first term.”

But through TikTok he’s found a way to not only address town issues but also get younger people interested in local politics.

“I’m getting emails and texts saying 'hey, where can I go watch a town meeting, and hey, how can I get involved?'” McCool says. “(It) is really great and what we wanted to do.”

McCool is also getting the opportunity to meet his followers, such as 16-year-old Olivia Hamilton. 

“It was crazy, because it wasn’t like I looked up somebody in Matthews. He was just in my 'for you' page,” Hamilton says. “ I see people from Canada see him, California, all over the world see him all the time, and I think it’s so cool because not only is he inspiring people in Matthews, but he’s inspiring people all over the world to make a change.” 

Despite what it looks like on TikTok, being a public official is a lot of work. 

But it’s a job that can bring about a lot of change, and that’s something McCool is grateful to be doing. 

“I’m able to have a voice in this, and I’m able to help make these changes that are going to push us forward,” McCool says.

Some of McCool’s videos on TikTok have gotten more than 200,000 views. 

McCool says on top of being a commissioner, he also paints local businesses and buildings, and coaches baseball. 

He was appointed to the Board of Commissioners position after it was vacated in February 2020. His term will run through December 2021.