Baby-Faced Mayor Takes Over an Aging Pittsburgh

At 26, many people haven’t even decided on a career. Luke Ravenstahl is already the mayor of Pittsburgh.

In the four short years since he left college, Mr. Ravenstahl has mastered the art of being at the right place at the right time, and last week he became the youngest mayor of any major city in the country, after the previous mayor, Bob O’Connor, died of a brain tumor.

But now comes the hard part. As he strives to be taken seriously and take charge of a city only recently back from the brink of bankruptcy, the baby-faced Mr. Ravenstahl said that even the smallest decisions felt weighty.

“I guess I’m taking it one decision, one day, at a time,” Mr. Ravenstahl said.