AMEND CORNER: A chance to serve the community

Posted 8/4/11

Anyone living in Ward I who meets the qualifications for the council is asked to submit a letter to the mayor stating his or her desire to serve.

Still, a younger face at the table might broaden the perspective of the council to the benefit of …

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AMEND CORNER: A chance to serve the community

Posted

For the second time in less than two years, a resignation has left Ward I short a representative on the Powell City Council.

Anyone living in Ward I who meets the qualifications for the council is asked to submit a letter to the mayor stating his or her desire to serve.

Still, a younger face at the table might broaden the perspective of the council to the benefit of the community. A council member with a young family would bring a different perspective to the deliberations of the council members. That’s a role former Ward I councilman Josh Shorb filled before he had to resign in the spring of 2010, and it would be a positive development if that viewpoint could again be represented on the council.

It’s also been a number of years since a woman served on the council, and a woman’s point of view might bring a fresh perspective to council meetings as well.

The City Council plays an important role in the American system of government. While most of our attention focuses on government at the national and state level, many of the decisions that affect our every-day lives most directly are decided right here in Powell. Council members ultimately are responsible for the way our streets are maintained and patrolled, our garbage is collected and our water is delivered. Our parks, pools, police and power lines all are part of the council’s responsibility.

That responsibility is why it is important to have a variety of voices representing, not just the three wards of Powell, but the various points of view within those wards.

Serving on the council is not an easy duty. It requires time and energy, and it helps a lot to have a thick skin as well. But if our participatory government is to work properly, citizens must be willing to take on that duty.

The formal qualifications for the seat are simple. Candidates must be at least 18 years old and must be residents of Ward I in Powell. Ward 1 encompasses the north-central part of town, including Northwest College and the Park County Fairgrounds. Its boundaries extend north of Third Street between Division and Clark, then north of Fifth Street between Division and Gilbert.

The deadline for submitting letters to the council is Aug. 19 at 5 p.m. They should be addressed to Mayor — City of Powell, 270 N. Clark, P.O. Box 1008, Powell, WY 82435.

We encourage any Ward I resident interested in the present and future of Powell to consider submitting a letter, and we hope that several people express interest.

It will be better for Powell if the council has a variety of choices to consider for the seat.

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