Editorial: The Pitcairn election shows the political need for wisdom and youth

Government is often seen as an old folks’ game. The math shows why. The average age of a U.S. governor is 64.5 — old enough to be planning a retirement party. For a member of Congress, it swings between 58 for the House of Representatives and 63 for the Senate.

In the Pennsylvania Legislature, 66% are baby boomers or older; the same age group makes up just 46% of the state’s population.

There is nothing wrong with people who have experience and tenure being a significant part of the bodies that lead us. They should be. But not to the exclusion of other groups.

Younger voices are important, too. They need to be not just welcomed but recruited for participation — or government risks being unprepared for the future.

Take Pitcairn, for example.

The Allegheny County borough had an unusual faceoff in Tuesday’s primary election. On the Democratic ticket, incumbent Mayor Margaret “Betsy” Stevick, 81, was up against a challenger young enough to be her granddaughter, Mika Petrosky, 20.

Stevick won. But Petrosky gave her a good race, picking up 96 votes to the mayor’s 247.

The pairing drew attention for the obvious storyline. Instead, it should have attracted questions. In a time when youth votes are being aggressively courted, why are younger candidates like Petrosky not more common — especially when there are so many empty slots on ballots?

Pitcairn had no one on the Republican ticket for mayor, tax collector or constable. There were four positions up for election on council. Four people ran on the Democratic side and just one on the Republican, meaning that, come November, there will again be just one contested race.

The reason is that most people see government as something they participate in perhaps twice a year, when they cast a vote. Even then, it’s rare. There were 344 votes cast for mayor, and 3,200 people live in Pitcairn.

Instead of having Stevick and Petrosky as opponents, Pitcairn and every other small municipality like it across Pennsylvania should be inviting younger residents into the process. They should be encouraging them to participate, to ensure a vibrant and engaged leadership for years to come.

The youth have to be open to that kind of mentorship, too.

When asked after the election if she would be willing to share ideas with the mayor, Petrosky punted. “I’m not going to lie. I don’t feel that Betsy would be open to listening,” she said. “If she was open to listening to what the people in our town need, I wouldn’t have run to begin with.”

That is a reason to get engaged, not to step away. No one is served by a shrug.