97-year-old mayor is reelected in US

The reelection of a 97-year-old mayor in the U.S. is garnering attention. “Although there are no official records to prove it, Perillo is believed to be the oldest mayor in the United States,” the Washington Post reported.

Vito Perillo, the mayor of Tinton Falls, New Jersey, clinched his second term in a local election on Tuesday. Tinton Falls is a small city with about 18,000 residents. Once the reelected mayor completes his four-year term, he will be 101 years old.

Perillo, born in 1924, had worked as an electrical engineer for the Department of Defense for 38 years until retirement in 1980. He also fought in World War II. At the age of 93, he decided to run for mayor in 2017, and as a candidate with no political experience, his won against the then-mayor with 20 years in politics surprised people. “My hope, however, is that it’s because you see that I care about our town and the people who live in it above anything else,” Perillo wrote on the reasons of his reelection on Wednesday on Facebook. He has lived in Tinton Falls since 1960

He said he regularly plays golf and exercised at the local Y.M.C.A. twice a week to maintain his health. Perillo, soon to be 100 years old, drives to town hall each day, always wearing a suit and tie. “During my medical checkup two months ago, the doctor said I won’t have to visit a hospital for two years,” he said. “I was delighted.”


Eun-Taek Lee nabi@donga.com