If I were Mayor, I'd make the world a better place by
Getting rid of the major pest: humans.
What/who changed my life and why
Tamora Pierce's books in the Tortallan universe, the quartet "Protector of the Small" being the most influential. Helps me by being able to (try) being myself, that not eveyrthing is perfect, to help others that can't themselves, and, of course, women are just as good as men (boo, sexism).
"I went to a restaurant, and I saw a guy wearing a leather jacket, eating a hamburger, drinking a glass of milk. I said, "Dude, you are a cow. The metamorphosis is complete. Don't fall asleep or I will tip you over." - Mitch Hedburg