现年29岁，金发碧眼、有着甜美微笑的凯瑟琳·伯斯诺尔将在5月25日宣誓成为英国温莎市的市长，她将是英国历史上最年轻的市长。凯瑟琳表示自己当选并不是因为长相，而是她真的了解人们需要什么。

At 29, Catherine Bursnall will be England's youngest mayor.

With her long glossy¹（有光泽的，光滑的） locks, model good looks and perfect smile, Catherine Bursnall is no doubt not a stranger to cruel “blonde” jokes.

But the 29-year-old is now having the last laugh – as she prepares to become England’s youngest mayor.

She will be working alongside her husband, Tom, who is also a local Conservative councilor（议员，参事） . The pair have even been dubbed²（被称为） “Tom Cat” in reference to the nickname given to Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise.

However, Catherine reveals she has climbed the political ranks much quicker than Tom, 30, who joined the Young Conservatives at 16 and has been promoted to national chairman.

But she's keen to point out that she believes her three-year fast-track process to mayor, for which Catherine will be inaugurated（就职，开始） on May 25, is down to merit（优点，价值） rather than her appearance.

“It certainly helped that I was local,” said Catherine, who was brought up in Ascot by parents Terry, 59, and Elaine, 55 - both local government officials - and moved to nearby Eton with Tom before settling in neighboring Windsor.

“I knew there were certain things people wanted, such as more police on the streets, weekly bin³ collections, less noise from nightclubs and better parking, because I wanted them too.

“I didn't think I was that likely to win, but somehow on the night I got elected.”

However, Tom, a politics graduate who Catherine met when they were both students at the University of Warwick in 2001 and married at the Windsor Guildhall three years ago, is more blunt（迟钝的，生硬的） about his wife's triumph.

“They underestimated Catherine and probably thought she was a blonde bimbo（女人） ,” he told the Sunday Express.

“Our friends mock（嘲弄） us because I’ve been more political throughout my life, whereas Catherine’s only been in politics for two years and yet now she’s in higher office than me.”

Catherine agreed: “I’ve always been the one walking behind Tom, posting the leaflets（传单） through the doors but now it’s the other way round.”

The sociology and psychology⁴ graduate does admits that some local residents have been quite cynical⁵ about her success, which has also seen her carrying out the deputy mayor role for the past two years.

“When I was elected as deputy, a few people wrote into the local paper saying I was too young and only been picked because of my looks,” she said.

“On the whole though, when people get to know me they can see that I care and want to get involved.”

The couple, who run successful recruitment（招募，聘任） business, The Talent Pool Company, and are currently renovating⁶ their Grade II-listed 18th century Georgian home, have also appeared in an online poll of the country’s best-looking councilors.

However, Catherine will be taking a break from the company following her inauguration⁷ at the Windsor Guildhall as her role as mayor is a full-time⁸ job and will see her carrying 750 civic⁹ duties over the next 12 months.

The former pupil of Carters School in Sunningdale said she is keen for her people-focused political career to continue.

“Being a mayor is a more community-based role and less political, which is what I enjoy most,” she said.

“I won’t be called Mayoress because that’s the name for a mayor’s wife. You’re meant to be Mr Mayor but a lot of women ask to be Madam Mayor. I’d rather just be called Cat.”

However, Tom adds, for him, it’s nothing new, joking: “I’ve been calling her a ‘mare（母马，母驴） ’ for years!”