Carnegie's new mayor is making history. Sam Bigham, who turns 24 years old next week, is the youngest ever to serve the borough and the youngest currently serving in Pennsylvania.

Just as Bigham was about to step into the role of mayor, he hit the ground running and began talking to people in the community, but he said that's nothing new for him.

"I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of how the borough works," Bigham said.

In his short life, he's already had his share of experience working in different levels of government. He's spent time as a junior councilperson in Carnegie and interned for the borough and state Rep. Anita Kulik.

He said those experiences have helped him form good relationships with members of the borough and county councils, and even federal lawmakers.

"Since high school, I've kind of been interested in public administration, public service," Bigham said.

The passions started young and eventually brought him to last year when he learned the current mayor wasn't running again. She agreed to support him if he put his hat in the race. At the same time, he was offered a part-time position as the executive director of the Carnegie Community Development Corporation.

"As I was thinking it over, I was thinking well, I could do that and be mayor at the same time, that would really put me in a good position to do a lot of good work in the town," Bigham said.

In November, he won unopposed in the general election after earning nearly 76 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary against local businessman David Klug.

On top of his borough responsibilities, he's getting his master's in public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon and is working part-time for the non-profit organization Reimagine Appalachia, doing policy and communication work.

However, he said Carnegie will come first.

"Main Street is definitely going to be my priority here, investing in it, having events in town, promoting the main street, promoting the businesses we have in the central business district to bring people into town," Bigham said. 

He hopes to offer a younger perspective to the place he calls home.

"I want to provide a voice for the youth, obviously, in Carnegie, but I also want to do some good work. I think being younger, it means I have more energy, maybe more dynamism," Bigham said.