Healthy Community Initiative

More accessible playgrounds for kids in wheelchairs. More trees and places to play sports. More chain restaurants. Fewer bike lanes. Fifth graders had numerous suggestions for how to improve the City of Northfield when given the chance to speak at a mock city council public comment session on Tuesday at Greenvale Park Elementary School.

Four members of the Mayor’s Youth Council led the session after coaching the fifth graders in how to write and present a comment on a public issue. The high school students also explained how city government works and fielded questions about the Mayor’s Youth Council, which provides youth input into civic affairs and is part of HCI’s Youth on Boards program.

The fifth graders had many practical questions for the older students, including: how old you have to be to serve on the city council (the answer: at least 21); what happens if the council can’t agree (if the vote is tied 3-3, the mayor breaks the tie); and how long the council meetings last (usually an hour to three hours, although the public comment part is at the beginning and you don’t have to stay for the whole meeting).

The younger students also wanted to know: did adults listen to the ideas of the Mayor’s Youth Council? MYC member Elizabeth McCormick said yes, and she shared an example: last year, the City Council changed the requirement that members of the public state their address when speaking at a council meeting. The MYC had advocated for this change, arguing that it created a participation barrier for citizens who didn’t feel comfortable sharing that information.

The variety of opinions expressed by the fifth graders during the mock public comment session seemed to reflect the varied views of adults in the community on issues like bike lanes. But other ideas seemed to genuinely come from a youth perspective — like the suggestion that a new park be created by the river next to The Blast ice cream shop, so that kids would have something fun to do while their parents wait in line.

McCormick said afterward that she was surprised by how much interest the fifth graders showed in the Mayor’s Youth Council specifically.

“I hope they learned that even though they cannot run for office yet, they can still make their voices heard in local government,” she said.

MYC member Sonya Pick said she was impressed with the passion and engagement the students showed in their presentations, and MYC member Josie Mewes said she thought the students came up with amazing ideas.

“I hope they realized that they can play a big role in our society and that they are able to take action and make real change on the issues that matter to them,” Mewes said.