LYNN – He has his sights set on City Hall and the House of Representatives, but before St. Mary’s High School senior Joe Gill can embark on his own career in politics he will witness political history at the highest level next week at President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration.Gill will make the trip to Washington D.C. this weekend along with other teens from across the country who take part in the Congressional Youth Leadership Council. Gill and a friend from St. Mary’s flew down to a CYLC conference in the Nation’s Capital last school year which made them eligible to attend the inauguration as part of the the Presidential Youth Inauguration Council next week.While his friend chose not to attend the event, Gill jumped at the chance to witness the historic inauguration of the nation’s first African American president.”He is the first African American to be elected president, and that shows what great strides this country has made in the last 50 years,” Gill said. “To go from discrimination to electing an African American president shows that people are ready for change and they are not being selfish.”Although Gill is still short of his 18th birthday and the legal right to vote, he says that he is an Obama supporter and would have cast his vote for the Illinois senator if given the chance.”I like Obama. I think it is time for a change, we have had some rough times under Bush,” he said. “Obama has the right mindset. I think he is dynamic and he will bring a lot of change.”Gill will be in Washington from Sunday to Wednesday, where he will attend a variety of political conferences and events, including speeches from Colin Powell and former Vice President Al Gore.On Tuesday, he and the other students will have a special reserved spot among the droves of supporters expected to attend the inauguration, and the week will end with a special gala event Tuesday night.Gill says he still keeps in touch with many of the students who attended the conference last year, and predicts if the weather in Washington is anywhere as cold as it has been in the Boston area this week, his friends from down south will have a tough time come Tuesday.”It was about 60 degrees when I was down there last year and all the kids from Texas were complaining about how cold they were,” he said. “I was thinking ‘this is the nicest I’ve seen in a while.'””This is a great opportunity. I want to thank St. Mary’s for covering the cost of the tuition.”A lifelong Lynn resident, Gill has always been interested in politics, and says he is aiming on a career in public service. The senior class officer and all-state soccer player hopes to pursue politics at the college level next year, and says he has his sights set on Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr.’s post.”I told Chip he better watch out, because I’m coming. I told Rep. (Steven) Walsh the same thing,” he joked. “I know I don’t want to sit in an office all day, and I feel like I can help people if I go in to politics.”The Daily Item and www.itemlive.com will be posting Gill’s on-the-scene accounts of the inauguration, beginning Sunday evening and continuing daily through Wednesday.