20-year-old mayor advises against burning bridges

The audience laughed, not from amusement, but out of respect for Christopher Portman, the… The audience laughed, not from amusement, but out of respect for Christopher Portman, the 20-year-old mayor of Mercer, Pa.

Portman was sworn into office last January at the age of 19, becoming one of the youngest mayors in America. Yet the audience in the William Pitt Union Kurtzman Room on Wednesday seemed to be more impressed to learn that Portman also holds a part-time job and attends college.

“Full time, 18 credits,” he said flatly, when an audience member inquired as to the level of his commitment at Westminster College in New Wilmington, Pa. Many of the 75 people in attendance responded with laughter. He got the same response when he said, regarding how he performed in classes, “I would say, ‘fairly well.’ I’ve maintained a 4.0 through all of this.”

Julie Jaruszewicz, vice president of public relations for the Kappa Delta sorority, which hosted the event, said she invited Portman to Pitt because he was a role model that students could relate to for many reasons.

For instance, Portman had to deal with the backlash of joining a fraternity, when the Pennsylvania State Ethics Committee decided to make that the basis of an investigation.

During his 10-minute speech and the subsequent 40-minute question and answer session, he talked about the election, in which Kenneth Vernon, his opponent, was almost three times Portman’s age and had long experience as a council member.

“At first, I think he was humiliated [to have lost the election], to be honest,” Portman said.

But Portman made a point of repairing the relationship – an important step, as Vernon now chairs Mercer’s grant committee, and Portman works with him on a daily basis.

One theme stood out in Portman’s speech: Don’t “burn bridges” because the people a student keeps in contact with can provide opportunities. Portman makes a habit of building and keeping connections for himself. At age 9, he went to his elderly neighbors and made them an offer they couldn’t refuse: “Listen, I’ll mow your lawn for free.” Portman noted that the elderly largely supported his election.

Later, at 16, Portman was an intern for Rep. Phil English, R-Pa. At some point, Portman said, he may run for English’s office, but not until English was ready to move on or step down.

“I won’t run against someone who’s my friend or my ally,” Portman said.

Since his election, he’s met President George W. Bush, David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jon Stewart and CNN’s Judy Woodruff – a particular thrill for Portman, as a broadcast journalism and political science double major.