For the third year in a row the Town of Lady Lake hosted seventh graders from The Villages Charter School. Civics class students spent the day with department managers, town commissioners, the city manager and mayor learning the process of local government and holding a mock commission meeting.
“I love this,” said Mayor Jim Richards. “It humanizes everything. You don’t have to be a Philadelphia lawyer to be a local politician. We need more average citizens to get involved in local politics.”
Students were invited by their Civics’ teachers, Christina Ling and Robert Trifu, to write proposals that would be presented to a city council. Fifty students participated. The teachers narrowed the proposals down to thirty-two and submitted them to lady Lake Town Manager Kris Kollgaard. With the help of department managers and the commissioners they narrowed the proposals down to four.
The proposals that came before council included erecting a statue of the town founder and putting in a public swimming pool.
Students acting in all the necessary roles to run a commissioners meeting followed the same agenda as a regular commissioners meeting. Proposals were introduced by students and then the student mayor, student commissioners and student town attorney asked questions regarding the cost, upkeep and liability inherent in the two proposals. After plenty of discussion, motions were made and seconded. The statue of the founding father did not pass. The public swimming pool was approved by a 3-2 vote. The student town attorney made sure the motion was amended to include a liability waiver.
Coached by their adult counter parts, the children asked a lot of questions and those presenting the proposals were ready with the answers. “I hope the students learned that local politicians are just average citizens that are willing to ask questions. That is what I do. When we hear a proposal I ask questions, I think what would my neighbor want to know.
