Young politicians inspire high voter turnout, interest in local politics
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Monessen鈥檚 mayor-elect Matt Shorraw stands outside city hall, where he plans to lead the city to make a difference in his hometown.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Masontown鈥檚 youngest borough councilman, Sam Chahl, said he is excited to help make decisions for his hometown.
Alyssa Choiniere | 缅北禁地
Ryan Porupski, who was elected to serve on the Albert Gallatin Area School District school board, said he wants to give back to the school that educated and inspired him.
Grassroots efforts funded Matt Shorraw's successful efforts in running for the seat as Monessen's mayor, like this billboard thanking voters for their support on Tyrol Boulevard.
Monessen鈥檚 26-year-old mayor-elect grew up learning local history from his grandmother, inspiring him to dream of his hometown鈥檚 future.
鈥淚t really gave me a concept of what Monessen was and what Monessen could be,鈥� he said.
As a young child, Shorraw would frequently talk about becoming mayor and fixing the old buildings his grandma would point out to him. She raised him in Monessen and piqued his passion for his hometown鈥檚 history until he was prepared to step in and make a difference.
鈥淚 always talked about being mayor when I was growing up. I thought it would be something I鈥檇 be doing when I was 40 or 50,鈥� he said.
That changed when he learned Mayor Lou Mavrakis, who he often 鈥渂utted heads with鈥� on community projects, was running unopposed.
鈥淪o I thought, why not? Let鈥檚 do this now,鈥� he said.
Many of his friends moved from their hometown to Pittsburgh when they set off on their own. Shorraw has no plans to leave.
鈥淎ll my friends think I鈥檓 crazy,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut if everyone leaves, nothing will change.鈥�
He is planning to form a coalition of young mayors with members from Wilkinsburg, Sharpsburg and Bellevue, all of which recently elected mayors far younger than the norm.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 this wave that鈥檚 happening now, and it鈥檚 really exciting seeing young people get involved,鈥� he said.
From classroom to board room
Ryan Porupski, 21, walked the halls of Albert-Gallatin Area High School with a wave of students going to their next class, displaying his school board director pass just three years after he walked the halls as a student.
鈥淚 guess it鈥檚 really exciting that not so long ago I was a student,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you put your mind to something, you can accomplish anything.鈥�
Many current students and friends supported his ambitions, showing up to vote in droves and creating an unprecedented voter turnout. He said he helped many young people register to vote before the election.
鈥淭hey were really excited. They wanted to help out. They were really excited to have someone they could relate to to go out and vote for,鈥� he said.
His service on the board is his way of giving back to his alma mater.
鈥淚 always wanted to give back to the school, ever since I graduated because they gave me so much in the form of an education,鈥� he said.
Porupski, who works on his family鈥檚 beef farm in Smithfield, said he said he expects that his perspective as a recent graduate combined with the experience of the other board members will be advantageous to student success and the community as a whole. He said he thinks lowering the age gap between school directors and students will help bring the community together.
鈥淲ho knows, maybe this will open up the door for more young people to run in the future,鈥� he said.
A wave of change
Masontown鈥檚 youngest borough councilman, Sam Chahl, 25, said he believes his town and the county are poised for change.
鈥淚 think Masontown has some great potential in the coming years, and not just Masontown, but this area. Fayette County has great people,鈥� he said.
He plans to draw on his experience managing about two dozen people as the transportation manager at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in his role as borough councilman.
He planned to run two years ago, but he was unable because of a conflict as a post office employee.
鈥淚 just went for it again. I figured, why not? It鈥檚 a new opportunity. We鈥檒l see where it goes from here,鈥� he said.
He described himself as 鈥渁 little bit of a history buff鈥� with plans to modernize the town鈥檚 infrastructure.
He said he hopes his election and term will motivate other young people to take part in local politics.
鈥淚 saw an opportunity to do something, to make decisions for the town and have a say in what happens in the future and not just hope for the best,鈥� he said.
Casting votes toward a movement
Shorraw said it took time for voters to take him seriously.
鈥淚 think people just humored me at first. They were like, 鈥榃e鈥檒l sign your petition, OK.'鈥� he said.
That changed after the primaries when he received 733 votes and realized he had a core of voters supporting him. There are about 4,000 registered voters in Monessen.
While he acknowledged he is 鈥渁 novelty鈥� because of his age, he thinks his message resonated with voters. He determined he would stick to his issues and not stoop to mudslinging, an ingredient of both local and national politics.
鈥淧eople forget why they鈥檙e yelling. They just yell at each other and nothing gets discussed. Nothing happens,鈥� he said.
Voters saw he was taking the race seriously, and they began to take him seriously, he said. Monessen had a 40 percent voter turnout in the November election. Soon, he was receiving words of encouragement from politicians across the state. He realized his run was gaining national attention when he received a letter from a mayor in Wisconsin. Young people across Pennsylvania began running for local seats, using his campaign as inspiration. He said he hopes that movement continues and gains traction.
鈥淭o all the young people that are thinking, 鈥榃hat can I do?鈥� I think it鈥檚 important to just go for it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think young people are ready to step in and see what we can do. Now the floodgates are open and people are saying, 鈥榃hy not?'鈥�