Imagine graduating from college knowing that, in a few years, you would be sworn in as mayor of a big city. Would you be scrambling to jam in enough experience to be a competent leader?

This happened to Luke Ravenstahl, who graduated from Washington and Jefferson College in 2002. Last Friday, Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor died from lymphatic brain cancer. Newly appointed City Council President Ravenstahl took office as O’Connor’s successor. The minimum age to be a mayor in most large cities in Pennsylvania is 25. Ravenstahl, 26, is just over the mark.

Luke Ravenstahl (city.pittsburgh.pa.us)

The public doesn’t have much information about its new mayor’s qualifications. His official biography highlights his previous leadership positions on the college football team. His lack of political experience leaves little else to talk about.

It is no secret that there has been an exodus of Pittsburgh’s young people for employment. Thus, some younger Pittsburghers are understandably interested in Ravenstahl.

“I actually think it’s exciting that he’s not much older than we are in college,” said College junior Christina Catanese, a native of Pittsburgh. “It should be interesting to see what happens and the kind of job he does. But I do understand the hesitation” about him.

Older Pittsburghers are also unsure. Therese Rocco, a former assistant chief of police in Pittsburgh (and a family friend), noted that “his being young creates a bit of anxiety, but from every indication he appears very mature and we can only hope …[he] will learn from his colleagues who have more experience.”

Ravenstahl may have to face a special election to confirm the duration of his term. However, even if he is mayor for less than a year, any Penn student applying to grad school would welcome that kind of coup on their resume.

This twist of events has demonstrated that even obscure local candidates are significant. Given that many Penn students will be voting in Pennsylvania elections this November, it’s important that everyone actively researches candidates, instead of blindly pushing buttons in the ballot box.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 5th, 2006 at 10:27 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.