ALLENDALE, MI - After losing the mayoral election by one vote, Max McNally decided he just needed to think bigger.

He ended up being the first Ypsilanti teen in 40 years to be elected governor at Michigan's Boys State.

"My reaction was just relief. We had been doing town halls, debates, rallies for two days straight, and I was speechless when I heard my name announced in front of the hundreds of students attending the event," said McNally, who will be a senior at Lincoln High School this coming school year, in an email to The Ann Arbor News. "I don't know if anything else this summer will be able to top that moment."

Michigan's Boys State ran June 18-24 this year at Grand Valley State University as part of a national network of Boys State and Girls State programs sponsored by the American Legion.

The annual weeklong program teaches rising high school seniors about government by giving them the chance to campaign for office, hold elections and then govern their hypothetical cities, counties, universities, state legislature and executive departments.

McNally decided to apply to Boys State because of his interest in politics and community work. He was sponsored by the Student Advocacy Center of Michigan, where he facilitates a group called Youth Action Michigan; and the Ypsilanti American Legion Post.

The experience gave him a sense of the pressure of holding public office, McNally said. As governor, he had to respond to a city with lead in its water supply, and McNally said he addressed the problem immediately.

"I have full faith that one day down the line, when I run for real office, that this experience will serve a great amount of value," he wrote.