When there's an emergency in Exeter, Pa., 25-year veteran police sergeant Leonard Galli is often first to respond. Riding alongside him is 24-year-old Cassandra Coleman.
Coleman's not an intern, or a rookie. In Exeter Borough, Coleman's in charge of the police force. It's one of the main duties of the Exeter Borough mayor.
Recommended Videos
"People say 'Really? You're the mayor?' I always get that. 'You're the mayor, you're kidding, right?'" says Coleman.
Politics is no joke to Coleman. Her earliest memory was as a 3-year-old, when she worked the polls for her grandfather, Joseph Coyne. Coyne went on to serve as Exeter's mayor.
In 2007, when Coyne died while in office, Exeter council appointed Coleman to fill his unexpired term. Coleman was a 20-year-old junior in college.
"It made me want to prove myself. It made me want to run for election so I wouldn't have that 'she was appointed, this was given to her,'" says Coleman.
She has worked hard to earn the respect of critics who were concerned about her age and inexperience. Coleman responded quickly to citizens' complaints about taxes, noise, and public safety. In 2009 she ran unopposed, and was elected to serve a four-year term.
Despite the prestigious title, the mayor is a part-time position in Exeter. So it's not unusual for residents to see a very familiar face smiling back at them at her family's Italian restaurant.
"I may be the mayor, but to my dad, I'm still his daughter and if he needs me to come in to work, I have to go," says Coleman.
Hard work and determination, Coleman calls those the keys to her success, no matter what age you may be.
Mayor Coleman is also employed full-time as the deputy finance director for Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey. She is planning to run for Exeter mayor again in 2013, and does not rule out running for a higher political office someday.