Phillip Cavins is the youngest mayor to ever hold the office in the state at only 23 years old.

“At a young age I enjoyed serving people and that got me interested in wanting to serve my community,” Cavins said.

Cavins grew up on the outskirts of town but always called Turkey Creek his home.

After getting married, he and his wife purchased their first house in the village.

Always interested in government, when the former mayor elected to run for secretary of state, Phillip saw his opportunity.

“I talked to my wife, I talked to the rest of my family and told them that I think I might put my name in the hat,” Cavins said.

He did, and he was the only one to qualify.

But it wasn’t without controversy.

In October, a couple of Turkey Creek residents learned Cavins was unopposed in the election, and allegedly did not live in the district.

But court documents prove Cavins has lived at his Turkey Creek address for over a year, which is the minimum requirement by state law.

“They were threatening me. They were trying to persuade me and pretty much blackmail me to drop out so there could be a special election and one of their friends could run. I don’t stand for that, I’m not going to be bullied out of a position that I feel that I’ve earned,” the new mayor explained.

Cavins believes his background in business will allow him to accomplish a few of his goals to bring more business and tourism to their village.

He believes his biggest challenge will be finding a suitable candidate for the office of police chief.