Cape Coral Youth Council holds first meeting
It’s a different feeling when you sit on the dais and overlook the gallery. Not only is there great authority sitting there, but also great responsibility.
That’s what the 14 members of the newly formed Cape Coral Youth Council learned as they attended their first meeting Friday in the Cape Coral City Council chambers at City Hall.
The teens, representing six high schools plus two members “at large,” also learned that these meetings are not going to be fun and games. While they are not going to make policy like the city council, they will have an opportunity to influence how the city council makes policy.
As duly-appointed advisory board members, they will discuss the issues such as Bimini Basin, the Seven Islands and the UEP and anything else that comes up.
How important are these meetings? They will be treated like every other meeting and the youth council members will have to follow the same rules as the city council. Members will be subject to Sunshine Laws. The meetings will be televised. All memos and reports they do will be part of public record.
The first meeting was more of an indoctrination. City council member and liaison Rick Williams gave the members a talk about how to comport themselves while on the dais and what their jobs, as advisory board members, will be. Mayor Marni Sawicki attended part of the meeting from the gallery.
City Attorney Dolores Menendez also explained the Government-in-Sunshine Laws to them, while former mayor Joe Mazurkiewicz taught them how to conduct a meeting, Robert’s Rules, and the need to elect a chair and vice chair.
And after the assistant city clerk ran much of the meeting, the youth council voted Javier Diaz of Cape Coral High School in as chair, and Brandon Pearson of Oasis High as vice-chair.
They also voted to move the meetings back to 2:45 p.m. instead of 2:30, to give the members a chance to arrive on time, as some get out of school later than others.
From here on out, although Williams and others will assist in facilitating, the Youth Council will be on its own, conducting meetings, hearing public comment and from their own members on the dais.
Diaz said he felt the power sitting there, and realized what it means.
“It was nerve wracking at first. It’s a very important position. You feel very privileged to be here and get used to the talent around you and it feels good,” Diaz said. “I learned a lot about how the city functions. I’m new to the city, but I’ve come to love it.”
Austin Wilson of North Fort Myers High said he enjoyed the discussion he had and thought it was productive.
“I think the qualifications they had is tremendous to the community. The cameras didn’t bother me too much and speaking was easy,” Wilson said. “I want to send a message to the citizens of Cape Coral that the youth has a pipeline to the government and they do have a say. We need to change it from Cape Coma”
The council consists of a junior and senior representative from each of the five Cape Coral high schools, North Fort Myers High School, and two at-large members from other schools, such as Bishop Verot. All must be Cape Coral residents.
Members are: senior Javier Diaz and junior Maxwell Slafer from Cape Coral High; senior Tabatha Lehmann and junior Alexis Ellsworth of Ida Baker; senior Max McCardle-Sykes and junior Riley Hare of Island Coast; senior Michael Gibbs and junior Madeline Miller of Mariner; senior Sofia Pultro and junior Austin Wilson of North Fort Myers; senior Branden Pearson and junior Oriana Troche of Oasis; the at-large appointees are senior Jacob Williamson and junior Olivia Cerretani.
The meetings will be held every other week, at least initially.