City Council Meeting Date: May 21, 2019
To: City Council
City Administrator
From: Mayor Pownell
Title
Consider Approving Mayoral Board/Commission Youth Appointments.
Body
Action Requested:
The City Council approves the following youth appointments:
Arts and Culture Commission
Harper Bechtel (c) - voting member
Madeline McDermott - non-voting youth representative
Edie Meehan - non-voting youth representative
Robby Swenson (c) - non-voting youth representative
Economic Development Authority
Alex Baraniak (c) - non-voting youth representative
Celine Falcon-Geist - non-voting youth representative
Environmental Quality Commission
Katie Schroerr (c) - voting member
Nicholas Boehning (c) - non-voting youth representative
Heritage Preservation Commission
Anna Neseth - voting member
Housing & Redevelopment Authority
Mila Matney (c) - non-voting youth representative
Signe Hauck - non-voting youth representative
Human Rights Commission
Grant Bouvin - non-voting youth representative
Esperanza Carera Murga - non-voting youth representative
Anna Dwyer - non-voting youth representative
Chloe Thomas-Green (c) - voting member
Library Board
Grace Casson - non-voting youth representative
Max Gordon-Mercer (c) - voting member
James Shuffleton - non-voting youth representative
Mayor’s Youth Council (all voting members)
Alanah Barnes
Will Beaumaster
Martin Brice
Greenlee Dahle (c)
Celine Falcon Geist (c)
Oran Frenstad
Anders Larson (c)
Riley Ledman (c)
Clara Lippert
Ryan Malecha (c)
Natalie Nevin
Angie Oscal Orrego (c)
Audrey Pagel (c)
Caroline Peterson (c)
Isabella (Ella) Schmidt (c)
Meg Tomonari
Veronica Torres Bermuda
Anna Worden
Northfield Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention
Brekken Modory - voting member
Camryn Stokes - voting member
Nancy Vega - (c) voting member
Belinda Zubia - voting member
Park and Recreation Advisory Board
Tatum Hauck (c) - voting member
Caleb Meeker - non-voting youth representative
Planning Commission
Grant Boardman - non-voting youth representative
Sofia Chihade - non-voting youth representative
Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
Muriel Collins-Lundebrek - non-voting youth representative
Mya Wesling - non-voting youth representative
(c) = returning member
Summary Report:
The City Council is being asked to approve the youth appointments as noted above. The MYC and youth appointees to boards and commissions act in an advisory capacity to the boards, commissions and City Council for the purposes of advising these groups on perspectives and issues important to Northfield youth in order to assure a youth voice in civic affairs, and working with community partners and other youth initiatives to help design and recommend solutions and options to address opportunities and areas of concern in the Northfield community. Youth members are appointed/reappointed annually. Applications to serve on the MYC, boards and commissions are completed and submitted to the Adult Advisor, Meleah Follen. The applications are assembled by the Adult Advisor and anonymously submitted for review and scoring by the current members of the MYC and the Adult Advisor. Recommendations for appointments to fill vacant or expired positions are made to the Mayor based on scores and the desire to create a MYC, and appointees to boards and commissions, that are gender, ethnic and age diverse. Members shall thereafter be appointed by the Mayor, with the approval of the City Council.
In addition to the youth that will serve on City Boards and Commissions during the 2019-20 school year, there are 37 additional youth serving on additional Boards or Councils within the community that are part of the Youth on Boards program. These include the District Youth Council and the Community Service Advisory Board, both part of the Northfield Public Schools system, the Statewide Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) Community Leadership Team, and seven local non-profit Boards (Northfield Area Family YMCA, Northfield Arts Guild, Northfield Healthy Community Initiative, Northfield Historical Society, Northfield Shares, Northfield Youth Choirs, and Women in Northfield Giving Support (WINGS)).
The Youth on Boards program is funded collaboratively between the City of Northfield, Youthprise and Northfield Healthy Community Initiative.