New Youth City Council Holds First Meeting

Fairhope, Alabama


Michelle Tran standing

"MOCK" CITY COUNCIL ORGANIZING

The city's newly-formed youth city council held an organizational meeting at the library today where its president, Michelle Tran, explained procedures and objectives for the group.

Tran proposed a mission statement to "get young people more involved in city government and keep them  apprised of what's happening in Fairhope politics" ... using social media, networking and other methods of outreach such as community events.

According to the city's webite:

"The Fairhope Junior City Council works as a liaison between Fairhope youth and the city. We’ll be interacting with Fairhope families, business owners, politicians, students- everyone! Our mission is to get Fairhope youth more involved in our community and to inform the community of what’s going on in Fairhope through student-led media and special events." 

Although not an official government committee, the mock council will voluntarily operate under the standard Roberts Rules of Parliamentary Procedures and state Open Meeting Act provisions ... just as the real council and committees of the city are supposed to do.

Tran: "We are not a city committee, (but) a special project ... acting like a city committee."

Other officers were to be selected later, such as a Vice President, Secretary, and possibly a Media Manager.

Forming working groups to study issues and for outreach in the school are also planned.

The ten-member council composed of high school students plans to meet monthly; their meetings are to be open to the general public.

Members are: Daria Leggitt, Eleanor Johnson, Peyton Aiken, Erin Casolaro, Chris Miller, Clare Kiernan, John McEniry, Kaleigh Spears, Grayson McKean, and Victoria Whatley.

Miller and McEniry are students at Bayside Academy; the others are from Fairhope High School.

(Tran also serves as the district one representative on the State School Superintendent's Student Advisory Council.)


Comments

Anonymous said…
Young people are the chief hope for the future of the city and nation; we oldtimers have hopelessly mucked it up.
Anonymous said…
They need to get some kid to replace the mayor too.