Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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The township of Belleville has a new mayor, and he’s a trailblazer in many ways. Frank Velez is the first Latino elected to serve that position, and at just 24 years old, he's the youngest. Despite his youth, Velez brings years of political experience to the office: At 19 he was the youngest person elected to the Belleville Board of Education, and then, at 22, the youngest councilman. You could call his political career a trifecta of "youngest" roles.

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