Less than one month after U.S. President Barack Obama stressed civil service in his commencement address, one University graduate is wasting no time putting his political science education to the test by running for public office.

About halfway through his senior year at the University, William Bostic Jr. started thinking about running for mayor of Ann Arbor. At 22, the political science and Afroamerican and African Studies major who graduated on May 1 said he just wants to listen to and help the people of Ann Arbor — a place he said feels like home.

“If I can help you, I can help you. If I can’t, I’m going to figure out a way to help you out. That’s what I want to do,” Bostic said. “I want to be somebody who you can come talk to if you have a problem. I feel that as the mayor, I can be that voice for people (who) need a voice.”

Bostic said he was inspired to run for office after he wrote a paper for one of his political science courses about enacting a foreclosure moratorium.

“The funny thing was I started seeing (my ideas) in The Huffington Post … they were talking about lone modifications — what I was talking about in my paper,” he said. “I (was) like, ‘Wow, I actually came up with this before some other people … You know what? This is what my education is teaching me — I have the credentials, I can do this, why not?’ ”

With no official campaign platform yet, Bostic said he is waiting to hear more from the citizens of Ann Arbor about what issues are important to them.

“We need to hear what everybody has to say first before we can do anything," he said. "Whatever problems come to the top we’re going to address. If it’s a small problem, we’re going to address it too. I want to hear every single problem."

There are some issues, however, that Bostic said he already knows he will incorporate in his platform — the most important being the city’s budget.

“We can’t really do anything until the budget’s fixed,” he said. “I’m going to tell people that sacrifices have to be made and I’ll start off by lowering my salary. If I am elected, I plan on lowering it to (at most) 35,000 dollars. I believe it’s 41,600 (dollars) right now for the mayor, but I’ll take it down to 35, even 34. That will be my gesture of good will saying … I’m willing to make a sacrifice.”

Bostic said he hopes that by fixing the budget, he can prevent layoffs to Ann Arbor’s first responders.

Also on Bostic’s agenda are renovations to the E. Stadium bridge and a decision on whether or not to tear down Argo Dam. Bostic said he is waiting to take a side on the Argo Dam issue until he has more information on the situation.

“If (the dam) is not generating electricity, I feel there should be no need for it, but I’m still not ready to make that call because I haven’t heard from anybody who uses Argo pond,” he said.

Born in Houston, Bostic said he lived in Ann Arbor for five years before moving back down to Texas, where he spent most of his childhood. Bostic added that even after settling down in Stafford, Texas he and his family came back to Ann Arbor occasionally on the holiday to visit relatives.

At the University, Bostic was involved with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Black Undergraduate Law Association. He played varsity football but quit after two years and started working at the Michigan Telefund.

“I wasn’t used to having so much time on my hands,” Bostic said. “I wanted to work and do things for myself, so I started working and was able to buy a car, so I learned what hard work gets you.”

Bostic said he was always planning to stay in Ann Arbor after graduation.

“Personally, I feel attached to Ann Arbor – the people here, the students, the citizens, the residents, everybody here,” he said.