The Section - GETTING INVOLVED
01/02/2006

The Section is a new feature within The Waterbury Observer written by, for and about area youth. It is produced by Media in Motion, a youth jouranlism program, in partnership with The Observer. For more information contact Youth Editor and Executive Director Quajay Donnell at quajay@leader365.org or 203-500-3891.

Torrington's 22-Year-Old Mayor, Ryan Bingham, talks about his life in politics

Story By Amanda Perillo
Senior, Crosby High School

For Ryan Bingham, of Torrington, there was only one thing to do. He decided to get involved, in one of the biggest ways possible.

"After learning more and more I realized that the best way to help Torrington would be to serve the people, and I reached the stars in running for Mayor."

At 22, Mayor Bingham is the youngest mayor in Connecticut's history. A graduate of Marist College with a BA in political science and a minor in sociology, his political aspirations began at Torrington High School. In high school he was a member of the student council and his involvement continued in college as a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

Bingham has certainly come from a political background, which he says has helped him in many ways. "Having discussions at the dinner table with my family was one of the best learning experiences I could have ever gotten," he said.

Son of current state representative Anne Ruwet and grandson of former state representative Joseph Ruwet, Bingham says his family is helpful because they are among his many advisors and are always willing to help, but more importantly are always supportive of his decisions.

This young mayor's day starts in his office at 7AM, where he usually has a morning cup of coffee and looks through the newspapers to get a feel of what is happening in and around Torrington. After that, around 9AM, he attends meetings on the business of Torrington, to "gain a proper working knowledge" of the town's past and to plan for what may need to be done in the future.

One of Bingham's views for Torrington is to make the mayor's office more accessible to citizens. In order to do this he spends his time on the phone with residents about concerns they may be having and doing his best to find a solution.

"It's always great when I get to help someone," he said.

What do you think would happen if you went to your high school reunion with "Mayor" on your resume? For Bingham, the answer to that question comes easily. "I think it will be similar to any other reunion because my friends and classmates will always know me as Ryan, not Mayor Bingham and I would not have it any other way."

Bingham is one of the many younger citizens getting involved in politics. In Hillsdale, Michigan for example, there is the new mayor, 18-year-old Michael Sessions, who wasn't even old enough to put his name on the ballot. With $700 to campaign, Michael won as a write-in candidate, beating the incumbent mayor by just two votes. While the U.S. Conference of Mayors does not keep up with ages of all mayors, there have been other young mayors, which date back to 1890 with Charles H. Stewart, 23, in Melbourne, Florida. More recently Jeffrey Dunkel (18, of Mount Carbon, Pennsylvania, in 2001), Jason Nastke (19, of Valatie, N.Y., in 2000), Chris Portman (19, of Mercer, Pa., in 2002) and Casey Durdines (20, of California, Pa., 2005).

The recent appearance of younger people in public offices brings to mind the recent "Vote or Die" campaign put together by Sean "Diddy" Combs. The Citizen Change program, which put together the "Vote or Die" campaign, is a non-partisan, non-profit voter interest drive. Headlined by many celebrity endorsers, the program was aimed at getting potential voters in the 18-30 age range more active in voting. The efforts of the Citizen Change program could partially be responsible for the 11% increase in voter turnout among 18-24 year olds in the 2004 elections nationwide. It could also be the ability to identify with younger candidates, and our young mayors have taken that to the next level, encouraging not only active voting, but also active participation in the government itself.

So, with a job title as long as "The Honorable Mayor Ryan J. Bingham," Bingham is really just an average, down to earth guy who happens to have taken a great interest in improving his town.

"The greatest advice I can give to anyone with political ambitions is to listen to everyone, and always keep an open mind. Don't doubt that you can achieve anything you want."

Imagine leaving for college feeling that when you come home, you'll be returning to a town thriving and moving into the future. You get back, however, to find that nothing has really changed. What would you do?

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