Twenty-nine students from both Emerson and Union Hill high schools in Union City learned that being a local politician is a lot harder than it looks during the city’s eighth annual Student Government Day held on May 4.
These students spent the day working in the various departments with town officials. The students learned about municipal government and how the departments work together.
Each student who participated filled out an application listing his or her top four choices for positions within the city.
Sung “Sunny” Yoon Kim, a senior at Emerson High School, was chosen to be the mayor for the day.
According to Public Relations Representative Gale Kaufman, the city alternates between the two schools for the position of mayor. This year Emerson was mayor, so next year, some one from Union Hill will be mayor.
The remaining four members of the board of commissioners were Emerson High School seniors Sandy Larios as the commissioner of public works; Engelina Rodriguez as the commissioner of public affairs; Huwaida Hassan as the commissioner of revenue and finance; and Union Hill senior Angelino Vasquez as the commissioner of parks and public property.
The students were appointed to these positions at the mock Board of Commissioners meeting held in the afternoon.
Public portion
While no Board of Commissioners meeting in Union City would be complete without mention of the city’s high municipal taxes, the public portion of the mock commission meeting on Student Government Day covered everything from taxes to pigeons to certain high school students hanging out on street corners. “What about my taxes,” said Sergio Panunzio, the Deputy Director of Public Works, acting as a private citizen in the public portion of the mock meeting.
“We are working right now with the appropriations committee,” said Kim, sounding very much like Mayor Brian Stack. “Give me some time. Everything will come into order.”
Kim also assured her citizens that John Quezada, who was appointed as the Director of the Community Swimming Pool, would be taking swimming lessons.
However, teaching the students that not all of the residents come to meetings to criticize, Assistant Superintendent of Schools Jerry Caputo thanked the commissioners for their hard work.
“Very few times you will get a citizen that comes to a meeting to say thank-you,” said Caputo. “That was just to show you that it does go both ways.”
Learning experience
While these comments, all made in fun, may have put the young politicians on the spot, they also served as a learning tool. In order to answer the concerns of the “citizens” the students learned the legal ways to enforce the city’s curfew law and what the city is doing for senior citizens and about the high taxes.
“I wouldn’t know how to answer all those questions,” said Kim who was being coached by Kathy Stack, sitting in for her husband.
“It is hard to keep all those people happy,” said Hassan. “Especially all those grumpy citizens.”
However, the board also opened the door for a lesson after voting down the appointment of one of their fellow students.
“We thought you had relations with a contractor,” said Kim after her Board of Commissioners voted against the appointment of Emerson High School student Melissa Mejia as the Urban Enterprise Zone Coordinator. “But that matter has been resolved.”
While this part of the meeting may not have been expected, or routine, it did give City Clerk Michael Licameli an opportunity to teach the 29 participants about a closed session. Licameli explained reasons to enter into a closed session, for instance hiring an employee or other legal matters, and then explained that no person, not even members of the media, is allowed to enter a closed session discussion.
The students had many other opportunities to learn about government on May 4, not just during the commissioner meetings.
“Public Property is more than what it looks like,” said Vasquez who spent the day with Commissioner Michael Leggiero. “It is not just parks and buildings. It is doors and locks and other little things that you don’t see.”