Michael Calder doesn't have a lot of free time to give up, but what he does have he's giving to his family's hometown.
Calder, 26, was sworn in as mayor of Export last week with family and friends nearly filling the borough meeting room.
He said a change in how council meetings run was already apparent to some.
"We were doing nothing but talking about business," Calder said.
In the past year, it was common for residents to clash with officials and for former Mayor Bob Campagna to argue with council members.
Though he doesn't expect everyone to agree on every issue, the bickering that plagued the borough in the last year won't be tolerated, Calder said.
"Fair disagreements and counter-productive arguments are two different things," he said.
Calder said his desire to serve the borough comes from his family's legacy in town. In the 1950s, his grandfather, Aldo Calder, built the home he now lives in.
After Aldo Calder died in 2004, Calder's family decided they wanted to keep the house in the family.
"We were not ready to say goodbye to my grandparents' house," Calder said.
Calder, a McCandless native, moved in while attending law school at Duquesne University. He said he was hooked by Export's small-town feel.
"It grew on me quite quickly," he said.
He graduated from Duquesne in 2007 and began working at Rosen, Louik and Perry in Pittsburgh. He then debated, briefly, whether to move closer to the city.
"I said, 'Why would I ever want to leave this?'"
Calder's first experience with local politics came in 2007, when several residents wrote his name in for a council seat.
His first serious try at office came last year after talking with friends and council members -- including President Barry Delissio and John Nagoda -- and Solicitor Wes Long about leadership possibilities in town. They suggested he run for mayor.
"I was humbly uncertain I was the right person for the job," Calder said.
Officials assured him that he had the right personality for the job.
"I find myself to be a down-to-earth guy," Calder said.
Calder said the Export flood control project must be a priority. He also said he would like the borough's business district to grow in a manner similar to Murrysville's Streetscape plan. Getting a post office back in the borough also is a priority, he said.
Calder said he looks forward to continuing to meet residents and business owners around town and make a positive impact on the town.
"Part of being a new face and a young face is that people don't know what to expect," he said.
