Sleepy, suburban Campbell's City Council elected one of the youngest gay and youngest Asian American mayors in the country at a meeting Tuesday night.

The council promoted Evan Low, 26, from vice mayor to a one-year term as mayor of the 38,000-resident Silicon Valley city.

"He'll have his work cut out for him, but I think he'll find his way," said City Councilman Michael Kotowski, who twice served as Campbell's mayor. "He'll do a good job if he does the normal things, but he'll be an exceptional mayor if he gets out in the community and reaches out to people."

Low is working on his master's degree in public administration from San Jose State University, where he also earned an undergraduate degree in political science. He also attended an executive program at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.

A resident of Campbell for eight years, Low works full time as senior district representative to Assemblyman Paul Fong, D-Sunnyvale.

Despite his busy schedule, Low said he'll have time for the mayor's job, which will include guiding the council through budget uncertainties and a for-profit hospital controversy.

"I'm passionate and energetic about all things I do," he said. "This is not work for me. This is something I enjoy."

Low grew up in San Jose but eight years ago moved to Campbell, where his father, Dr. Arthur Low, is an optometrist and sits on the Chamber of Commerce. Low said he became interested in politics because he felt young people's interests, such as affordable housing and the future of Social Security, were not being addressed.

He first ran for City Council in 2004 and lost, but won when he tried again in 2006. His term ends in 2010.

Campbell seems to be an unlikely city for a young, gay, Asian American politician to gain a foothold in public service. The San Jose suburb is 70 percent white and 11 percent Asian, with a small, quiet gay community.

Low said he received hate mail when he announced his opposition to Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban, as well as threats of a recall.

But he never considered moving to San Francisco or San Jose, which have larger gay communities, he said.

"For me, it's about making a difference in the community I live in," he said. "Campbell is my home."

Low is a rising star among gay politicians, although sexual orientation is generally becoming less relevant, especially among younger voters, said Michael Mitchell, director of Stonewall Democrats, a Washington, D.C., nonprofit that promotes gay and lesbian political issues.

"It's significant that someone that bright and this young can be elected mayor in California," Mitchell said. "That he's LGBT makes me even happier."