L.L. Wright Students Get a First Hand Look At City Government

IRONWOOD, MI - Thursday, October 15, 2009 - Tuesday afternoon, the Ironwood City Commission and the City of Ironwood hosted a very special Government Day for Gordy Erickson's 7th and 8th hour government students. The L.L. Wright High School seniors were introduced to the inner workings of city government.

The session began with the brief "pop quiz" shown above. The YouTube video A Local Government Pop Quiz on the Streets of Council-Manager Communities was originally an on-street study conducted for the Michigan Local Government Management Association. People from downstate council-manager communities responded to questions such as, What does local government mean to you? Who is your mayor? Who is your city manager? What form of local government do you have?

Although most of the people surveyed on the video weren't able to answer the questions about their city governments, Erickson's students seemed to have all the answers.

Following the video presentation, the students were treated to a PowerPoint presentation from City staff the explained the inner workings of Ironwood. Staffers and Commissioners explained the budget; described the services provided by the City; described the difference between an Ordinance and a Resolution; explained the election process; explained the various processes and procedures involved in government; explained how the City obtains and utilizes grant funding; and pointed out how businesses operate for profit while government operates for the benefit of the people.

Following the PowerPoint presentation, Gordy Erickson provided the Commissioners and City staffers with a list of tough questions that students had for them. Why is it taking so long for the skatepark? Why aren't there more things for teens to do in Ironwood? Why are our roads in such poor shape? Why is the Jessieville project on hold?

Just like the students had no problems answering the questions asked of them, the Commissioners and staffers were able to provide the students with the information they were seeking. Mayor Noren asked the students what types of things they would like to see in Ironwood. Laser tag, a paintball park, and a dance club were a few of the things the students would like to see developed. Noren explained that they have the power to present these ideas to City staff and the Commission and he told them how to initiate action on these ideas.

Manager Erickson explained how a group of dedicated skateboards got the ball rolling on the creation of the skatepark. Erickson explained that the long wait for the park was largely due to the fact that the City was seeking grant funding to create a better park. Mayor Noren went on to say that their efforts and patience have paid off because the City will soon have a state-of-the-art skatepark worth over $100,000.

Following the presentations and the question and answer session, the students were treated to free soda pop and cookies.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The City staff, the City Commission, and Gordy Erickson did a fine job introducing area young people to City Government. This exercise was a good way to educate and motive the students, and I hope this first experiment will lead to more interaction between the schools and the City.