Jason Mattick is looking for an opportunity to shape the city that raised him — and maybe inject the youth perspective into the City Council.

The 25-year-old Minnesota State University graduate is running for the 4th Ward spot held by Charlie Hurd.

“I just love the city,” he said.

As for the council, Mattick said, “They’re making good decisions,” but that it would be good to have a younger voice, given the city’s large youth population.

But he said the council “jumped the gun” on the smoking ban and says they should have waited for the Legislature to act. And it wasn’t the city’s place, he argues, to put such limits on local business owners.

Mattick, an assistant manager at Gary’s Pizza, said he got interested in city politics during the eight-way mayoral contest in 2006 after former Mayor Jeff Kagermeier resigned.

And politics could end up being a good career for him, something he can’t really say about pizza.

He moved into Ward 4 about nine months ago after growing up on North Fifth Street and attending Mankato East. So, upon seeing Hurd’s term end, Mattick decided to seize the opportunity.

As for Hurd, who won an April 2006 special election and filled out the final two years of then-Councilman and current Mayor John Brady’s term, Mattick has no complaints.

“He seems like a really nice guy,” he said.

Mattick says he likes watching sports — the Wild, Twins and Vikings, in that order — and canoeing or kayaking the Blue Earth River.

The political novice and anthropology major acknowledges he doesn’t know much about a local campaign, but says it’ll be a learning experience at the very least.