Lily Ishii
Last updated
Last updated
Lily Ishii is the current mayor of Stardust Springs. She is the youngest person to hold this position in the town's history, taking office at age 19. She is known for her innovative approach to environmental issues, most notably turning recycling into a competitive sport through the establishment of Bot Battles.
Lily was born to Dr. Akiko Ishii, a teacher, and Dr. James Ishii, a manager at a renewable energy company. Her mother's diplomatic approach to academic politics contrasted with her father's dynamic, risk-taking leadership. The dinner table often became an impromptu lesson in negotiation and problem-solving, with her parents encouraging her to defend her opinions and propose solutions to family decisions, from vacation planning to household rules. By age ten, Lily was already mediating disputes between her younger siblings and organizing neighborhood kids into elaborate games that she invented.
At Stardust Springs Public School, Lily learned quickly how to get things done. When her third-grade class needed to raise money for a field trip, she transformed the typical bake sale into a "taste-testing competition" that had students from every grade voting on their favorite treats with spare change. The event raised triple the usual amount and became an annual tradition. During the sixth-grade budget crisis that threatened the school festival, Lily mobilized her classmates to run the event entirely by themselves, coordinating student volunteers, parent committees, and local sponsors. The festival's success led to the creation of a permanent Student Events Committee.
The seeds of Bot Battles were planted during Ishii's junior year of high school, when she noticed how the school robotics club regularly scrounged through the recycling bins for parts. While she had little interest in building robots herself, she was fascinated by how the club members could transform seemingly worthless junk into working machines.
Around the same time, Ishii was working a part-time job at the town's recycling center, where she saw firsthand how many potentially useful materials ended up being processed or discarded. She began setting aside interesting mechanical parts for the robotics club, creating an informal exchange system that soon drew in other schools' teams as well.
In Lily's final year of high school, she was elected student body president. Her talent for turning mundane school initiatives into engaging community events caught the attention of local political leaders. After graduation, Lily spent a few months working at a restaurant before making the bold decision to run for mayor. She believed that Stardust Springs was ready for a fresh approach to community engagement.
Ishii's election as mayor of Stardust Springs marked a significant milestone in the town's history, breaking the previous record for youngest mayor by over 20 years. Her campaign focused on modernizing the town's approach to environmental challenges while engaging younger generations in community initiatives.
Ishii receives hundreds of requests daily from citizens of Stardust Springs. She is a strong delegator, asking others to pitch in when possible and sharing clear directions. When she sees community members, she asks them, "How are you doing? How is your family?" and listens. She is not afraid to tell residents, "Remember, it’s important to follow the law." While Ishii is always eager to help when possible, when she receives a request she can't fulfill, she is good about saying "no" and pointing people in the right direction to find help elsewhere. She recognizes the importance of community and is clear about her goals. Therefore, she gets results.
Ishii's signature achievement as mayor has been the transformation of recycling into a spectator sport known as Bot Battles. This innovative program combines environmental sustainability with community entertainment, encouraging residents to repurpose waste materials into combat-ready robots.
The first unofficial "battle" happened by accident, when two robotics teams showed up at the town's recycling center to claim the same pile of old printer parts. Instead of arguing, they agreed to compete for them, each building something on the spot with whatever they could find. When the battle was over, both bots had been broken down completely into easily reusable scrap. The event drew a surprising crowd of onlookers, and Ishii immediately recognized the potential for something bigger.
Within months, she had organized the first proper Bot Battle in the recycling center's parking lot, promoting it as "Stardust Springs' First Recycling Competition." The combination of spectacle and sustainability caught on quickly, though few could have predicted it would eventually become the town's signature sport.
The Neighborhood Workshop Initiative transforms vacant storefronts into community makerspaces. Initially proposed as a way to revitalize Stardust Springs' aging downtown district, these workshops serve as local hubs where residents can repair household items, learn practical skills, and work on personal projects.
Each workshop is equipped with tools and staffed by volunteer experts from the community—retired mechanics, craftspeople, and tech professionals who share their knowledge with younger generations. The spaces have become particularly popular with Bot Battles competitors seeking guidance on their designs, but they also host everything from furniture repair clinics to DIY electronics classes.
The most famous success story is Zoe’s Garage, the popular workshop founded by Zoe Foxlin.
