Southgate’s first December city council meeting looked and ran a little differently than it usually does throughout the year.
On Dec. 3, next to council members sat students from two local schools.
“We’re exchanging our seats tonight, as we do every year at this time,” said Mayor Jim Hamberg.
Students from Southgate Independent School and St. Therese School join the city council discussion each year at the first December meeting. The event, sponsored by both the city and the Southgate Optimist Club, gives students the opportunity to be a part of their local government.
The Optimist Club sponsors several events and programs for the youth within Southgate. The club also owns the playground located next to Southgate Independent School.
“Tonight is one of our favorite events because it is bringing the youth in. They get to see how the city’s run,” said president of the Optimist Club, Tom Paolucci. “And then at the same time, the city council gets to see how the youth is doing.”
As students and their parents filed in for the meeting, city clerk Brandi Barton asked, “Who’s your person?” and guided the students to the seats of the council members they were representing. Council members helped the students get situated with their scripts and the agenda. When the meeting began, and the council members were asked to give their reports, students explained what each part of the council does for the city.
Ramata Diagana, a student from Southgate Independent School, represented the city attorney, Mary Ann Stewart.
“As city attorney, I am responsible for providing legal advice or guidance to city officials and staff on all legal matters that relate to the business of the city” explained Diagana.
Walter Booth, a student at St. Therese School, represented public works foreman Avril Bowman.
“Christmas tree recycling will be done after Christmas,” Booth shared with the council. “Residents can place their trees at the curb from Dec. 26 through Jan. 6 for pick up or drop off trees at the public works garage.”
At the end of the meeting, Hamberg reminisced on a story of a past kids’ council mayor. He said he ran into the former student “mayor” at a local Kroger a couple of years ago.
“She said ‘I was the mayor one year… for kids night,’” Hamberg recalled. “She was at NKU, is what she was doing, as a student… Pretty cool when you see that.”
The mayor said he hoped the current students would remember to say hello when they see him or other council members out as the years go by and that they learned something by participating in the event.
Students received certificates for their participation from the Optimist Club as the meeting concluded.