Detailed Instructions: In this task, you're given the title of a five-sentence story, the first four sentences, and two options for the fifth sentence as a and b. Your job is to pick the sentence option that seamlessly connects with the rest of the story, indicating your choice as 'a' or 'b'. If both sentences are plausible, pick the one that makes more sense.
Problem:Title: Balanced Budget. Sentence 1: Tom was only mayor for a couple of things. Sentence 2: He took over a bad situation. Sentence 3: In a short amount of time he was able to turn it around. Sentence 4: Tom started balancing the budget and adding jobs. Choices: a. It was the best performance that city had seen in decades. b. Her friend encouraged kate to keep playing.
Solution:

Show your work and conclude with the exact phrasing "Therefore, the final answer is [answer]." where [answer] is just the final number or expression that solves the problem.
user
a