Wanted: Students to serve on Mayor’s Youth Council
By Randy Bell
“Every time you flush your toilet, that’s your government at work.”
That’s what Clinton’s Chief of Staff Breana Norton likes to say as she tries to explain that running a city or a state or a country is more than just meetings. And Norton is hoping to convince students to take an interest in government by serving on the inaugural Mayor’s Youth Council.
Hopefully, rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors who live in Clinton or attend school in the city saw a recent post on the City’s Facebook page announcing the application process, because the deadline is April 22 – and a good bit of information is required, including a completed application with long answers to two questions, a resume and a letter of recommendation from a non-family member.
Norton says members of the Youth Council will attend monthly meetings, engage in city events and gain real-world experience in local government. She says the questions on the application give students a chance to provide some input to the city, asking about Clinton’s biggest asset and disadvantage, what one thing would they add to the city, and why and how they would design a service project plan for an organization in Clinton.
“This will be an opportunity for them to have fresh ideas and really have a take on their city,” Norton says.
Her goal is to have about twenty Youth Council members.
“But, because it’s our first year, we’ll just have to see how many applications we get and go from there.”
While a service component could be added later, the initial focus of the Council will be on learning about government.
“We’ll take a poll at the beginning of the year [and ask] ‘What are you most interested in?’ So, some years, we’ll be most interested to hear from the City Attorney or the Public Works Director. And other years may be geared more toward state and federal, especially with next year’s election.”
Students can apply online or learn more at clintonms.org/myc or contact Norton at bnorton@clintonms.org.