I am what you might call a political junkie.

During the 2000 presidential campaign, I was a high school senior and my school hosted a mock presidential debate in front of the student body. I ended up pretending to be Al Gore, talking about lock boxes and the environment.

In college, a friend talked me into running for student body president, and somehow I won. When I returned to Pittsburgh, it was no surprise to anyone that I wanted to work in government.

I looked up all of the municipal, state and federal officials who represented my home district in Squirrel Hill, seeking the most progressive. When I cold-called Pittsburgh Councilman Bill Peduto's office, by good fortune he was short one office assistant, so he hired me on a three-month contract. I did policy research, responded to constituent concerns and acted as a proxy for the councilman.

After my short stint, Mr. Peduto launched his campaign for mayor. He asked me to come on as a field coordinator, which essentially meant I would tramp across the city of Pittsburgh and door-knock every Democratic household I could approach without breaking my back on an icy doorstep or losing a chunk of flesh to a guard dog.

Granted, my experience is singular, with its own biases and prejudices, but it brought me to think critically about the political future of our city, especially for my generation.

From these experiences in government and electioneering, I got an inside perspective of Pittsburgh's political life. For one thing, I realized that a Pittsburgher is as territorial as a grizzly bear. And that this town is in a battle between old and new politics.

I am about three years younger than Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Pittsburgh is my home. I mention this because I am a member of the next generation in Pittsburgh politics, which the mayor represents.

But there is a political divide within the Burgh's Y generation (folks aged between 14 and 29). While I support the mayor's initiatives to green the city and engage young people, I see the mayor tied into the old political ways of cronyism and taking advantage of his office.

When Mr. Ravenstahl accepted a plane ride to New York City with Penguins owner Ron Burkle after sealing the new arena deal, and when he rode a high-tech homeland-security vehicle to a Toby Keith concert, he revealed himself as a politician who exploits his position. Hiring his high school football trainer, David White, as his policy adviser smacked of Tammany-Hall-style patronage.

On the surface, the political divide within my generation reflects that of previous generations: liberal vs. conservative Democrats. But the divide is beginning to bear out along different lines: reform vs. the status quo. Many young people have come to disregard ideology for the sake of promoting good government.

This realignment led me and many other young people who consider themselves progressive to vote for Republican Mark DeSantis for mayor last year. Mr. DeSantis campaigned on a platform of "efficient, effective and transparent" city government.

Of course, not all young people think city government is on the wrong track. In fact, the mayor has numerous young supporters, including many young staff members, who dedicate themselves to trying to make the city a better place. Young leaders in many at-risk neighborhoods support his summer initiative for safe streets.

But there is another side to supporting the status quo. If your father is a district magistrate and your grandfather used to be a Democratic ward leader and state representative for the North Side, as was the case for Mr. Ravenstahl, you might like the way things are heading. Many young people support the status quo because they, or someone who might do them a favor, are in a position of power. These kinds of political dynasties weaken the democratic process.

Many young liberals decided to vote for Mr. DeSantis, who could do them no favors in this strongly Democratic city, because they yearned for reform. After Mr. Peduto dropped out of the mayoral race, the Republican Party was the only group offering it.

Pittsburgh's youthful blogosphere became enamored with Mr. DeSantis. The blogs "2 Political Junkies" and "Pittsburgh Pist-Gazette" endorsed him. Another blog that supported him, "Progess Pittsburgh," wants to "remake the local Democratic Party. Replace the 'old boy' network with a network of progressive, connected, engaged, well-informed citizens."

All reform-minded Pittsburghers dream of the day this happens.

Since August I've been in the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs, one of several training programs run by the Coro Center for Civic Leadership. The fellows group is diverse: socio-economically, racially and politically. The fellowship is something like a nine-month-long residency program, rotating fellows through four- to six-week-long placements at government, business and nonprofit organizations. Many past alums have gone on to study at Carnegie Mellon University or work in the Pittsburgh area.

I graduated from the program yesterday. I will remain in the city not only because it's my home but also because I see many opportunities for young leaders. Several of my fellow fellows, from inside and outside the region, also see great opportunities here. Like fellows before them, a few are going on to study at CMU's Heinz School in Public Policy; others have received attractive job offers, and one or two are simply dedicated to the city of Pittsburgh. We represent the young professionals the mayor and others say they want to attract.

City leaders should recognize the desire for reform among Pittsburgh's Y generation and make responsible government a high priority. Most young people who immigrate to the city have little to gain from government besides necessary services. However, my idea of necessary services has evolved to include environmental protection, community-centered development and government innovation.

I expect to see these priorities more fully integrated into the political dialogue over the next decade. One day the types of reforms that most of the Y generation seeks will be the foundation of every local political platform -- whether today's leaders are ready for them or not.