Students question local government
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ST. IGNATIUS – Mayor Charley Gariepy hit the gavel on the podium to call a town council session to a close on a packed meeting after hearing questions from dozens of concerned Mission fourth-grade students on Wednesday.
The council ran the mock meeting as if it were the real thing, but they never really got past the public comment portion. One student asked why the council members volunteer for their elected positions.
“Most of us do this because we like our town,” Gariepy said. “We want to make it a good place for you guys to grow up.”
The next question progressed into curiosity about how a person gets to be on the council. Students asked the age of the youngest council member to ever serve, maybe hoping they could get to wield the gavel. The students learned that they need to wait a few years before they can get their names on the election ballot because council members must be at least 18 years old.
In the meantime, students wanted to know how much power the council has with local issues. “What can you get banned, drugs?”
It was explained that the town has a set of ordinances or local rules that are in line with state laws, and the town government isn’t a high enough branch of government to make laws.
With that settled, the students wanted to know how many people were on the council. Gariepy explained that there are four council members and one mayor. Why not just two people? Gariepy said a two-person council would cause a problem.
“We would never get anything done,” he said explaining that one person could vote no on an issue and the other person could vote yes.
The students also wanted to know how much power the council had over the reporters that write the news stories about the town council. Can the council tell them what to write? No, they answered. That is not how it works.
Teacher Tim Krantz used the moment to ask the students to remember the U.S Constitution. He asked them what amendment created the freedom of the press. Hands went up. One student with an excited hand wave answered that it was the first amendment.
With time running out on the session, Krantz asked the students to find out what they should do if they have an issue concerning local government and they want something to change. Council member Ray Frey explained that people should call the town hall and get the issue on the agenda. The council meets once a month for regular board meetings.
“You are welcome to come to the meetings,” council member Annie Morigeau said, encouraging the students to also bring adults to the meeting.
