Many of us cringe when we think of the idea of serving in public office. Who wants to put up with the complaints, the verbal abuse and all of the other negative noise that goes along with these thankless jobs?

Yet, despite all of this, there are those who speak enthusiastically of the experience, this chance to serve their communities.

After last year’s presidential election, this year gets turned over to local elections - county, municipal and school boards.

I thought I would check in on Tamaqua Mayor Nathan Gerace (pronounced “jer-ace), who just completed the third year of a four-year term.

When he was sworn into office in 2018 at age 19, he became one of the youngest mayors in Pennsylvania history. The minimum age for holding this job is 18 in Pennsylvania. Another Schuylkill County man was elected in 2001 when he was 18 and made national headlines. Jeff Dunkel, who served as mayor of Mount Carbon (population of about 85) for about 13 years, resigned in 2015.

Our area has had its share of young public officials. Most notable is Keith McCall of Summit Hill, who was elected state representative when he was 21, the minimum age for holding this job. Before his retirement, he rose to be the only speaker of the state House of Representatives from our area. McCall retired in 2011 after a 30-year legislative career.

I thought it would be interesting to find out whether Gerace has been disillusioned and can’t wait until his four-year term ends.

Quite the contrary, I found. In fact, he is running for re-election. I asked him whether the job has been a burden. Not at all, he said.

But what about being on call 24/7, the complaints, the abuse, the phone calls, the social media pressures and all the rest?

“It’s all part of the job,” he said. “It’s been very good to me; actually, I see it as more of a service to the community than a job. It has exceeded my expectations,” and when Tamaqua voters go to the polls later this year, he hopes that he will have exceeded theirs. So far, no candidate from either party has announced a challenge.

Now 22, the first-term Republican was admittedly a political novice when he first came into office. A 2016 graduate of Tamaqua High School, Gerace did not always have public office as his top of mind awareness.

“I decided to run for mayor because I truly love Tamaqua, and I believe that I bring a fresh perspective that will help the town thrive,” he told my State and Local Government class at Lehigh Carbon Community College in 2017 when he had already had the election pretty much locked up. He had won a two-candidate Republican primary, and with no Democrats running, he secured enough write-in votes on that ticket to make the balloting in November a formality.

That’s when I first met Gerace. I wanted him to speak to my class because most of the students were cynical or turned off by politics. Gerace was their age, but he was seeking one of the top municipal spots in his community. I expected that at least some of my students would be motivated by a peer whose enthusiasm for public office was palpable, possibly even contagious.

Most Pennsylvania boroughs operate under a weak mayor form of government. They have no vote on ordinances unless a council vote ends in a tie, and with most councils made up of either five or seven members, that is a rarity. Mayors can veto ordinances, which must then be overridden by council by at least a two-thirds vote to become law.

Aside from some “back and forth” over the selection of Police Chief Henry Woods early in his tenure, Gerace said that he has a good working relationship with borough council. Gerace said he has not vetoed any legislation passed by council. He attributes this perfect record to discussions about pending legislation between him and council members before they come to a vote. He also has never missed a meeting - either in person or through Zoom.

A mayor is in charge of the police department, and Gerace has enjoyed his “ride-alongs” with police officers to see firsthand what the job is like.

Mayors are expected to perform ceremonial duties, such as showing up at new business openings and community events, and, yes, they even perform wedding ceremonies. Nearly 40 couples have asked Gerace to officiate at theirs.

Gerace is a full-time field representative for U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pennsylvania, whose district includes Schuylkill and Carbon counties. The mayor’s position pays about $203 a month, but Gerace says local officials aren’t in these positions for the money.

Both he and Meuser contracted the COVID-19 virus about four months ago, Gerace said, and had to quarantine. Fortunately, the symptoms were mild, and both fully recovered.

Youthfulness in politics can be a help or a hindrance. Gerace projected his youth as a plus, embodying freshness and change, but opponents will often try to make an issue out of a young candidate’s age, attempting to equate it with inexperience. Gerace insists that so far his age has been a “non-factor.”

When deciding whether to run for re-election, Gerace said he used three criteria: People must like the job he is doing; he must like the job that he is doing, and he has to be good at what he is doing. Gerace will get his first performance review from voters in the May primary.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com