Aldermen looking to youth for help in improving the city

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By Tory Brecht | Tuesday, August 12, 2008 |

Davenport aldermen are turning to a little youthful enthusiasm to help spark ideas on how to improve the city.

Aldermen Shawn Hamerlinck, 2nd Ward, and Bill Boom, 3rd Ward, are pushing for the creation of a Youth Advisory Commission that would provide advice to the City Council on issues affecting young people and work on community service projects.

Under the proposed ordinance, which will get its first reading at tonight’s City Council meeting, the commission would be made up of 11 appointed members ranging in age from 14 to 21. Language was added to the ordinance at last week’s Community Development Committee meeting to ensure the group would reflect the diversity of the community.

“It’s another example of the outreach this council is trying to do to connect with citizens in an effort to make a better Davenport,” said Boom, who credits his passion for public service to his work on a similar commission in Waupun, Wis., when he was in high school. “The word will spread if Davenport has a youth-friendly environment.”

Hamerlinck modeled the ordinance after a similar commission in Iowa City, formed in 2005.

Audrey Keranen, an Iowa City West High School graduate who is heading off to Cornell University this fall, said her work on the commission increased her appreciation of her hometown.

Serving as the commission’s leader, she oversaw the creation of bylaws, creation of officer positions and the start of a youth empowerment program that got young people involved in community service.

“I learned a lot of things about Iowa City that I normally wouldn’t have been exposed to,” she said. “I think serving on the commission enhanced my appreciation and made me realize what a special community we have. I would really like to come back (after college). I think I would have a good future here.”

Boom said when communities across the state are worrying about a “brain drain” of talented youth fleeing Iowa, anecdotes like Keranen’s prove how valuable connecting with youth can be.

Young people are a large demographic that have a major impact on issues ranging from recreational programming to fighting juvenile crime, he said.

“I’ve learned over the years that if you’re going to address issues, you have to make sure all the stakeholders are involved,” Boom said. “We need to ask them what steps we need to take to entice people to stay. Having that discussion among a bunch of older white guys isn’t the best way to do that.”

Alderman Barney Barnhill, 7th Ward, believes exposing young people on how government operates and functions — from the council to the public works to the finance department — makes for better citizens.

“We need to talk to kids and ask what are we doing right, what are we doing wrong and what can we do to better service their needs,” he said. “The end result, we hope, is when kids get out of school, they choose Davenport as a place to live, raise a family and work.”

Too often, Barnhill said, the council doesn’t seek or use ideas from young people soon enough. For example, he said, some of the best ideas for improving Centennial Park, and specifically the city’s skatepark, came from youths. However, many of those — such as installing lights and using street artists to fight graffiti — were not employed until after problems arose.

“You want to get these kids’ ideas beforehand, rather than coming back after the fact to fix things,” he said.

If you goWhat: Davenport City Council meeting

When: 5:30 p.m. today

Where: Davenport City Hall, 226 W. 4th St.

Tory Brecht can be contacted at (563) 383-2329 or tbrecht@qctimes.com.