HIGH-SCHOOLERS FILL SHOES OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS

If area high-school students served on the Cape Girardeau City Council, no gambling would be allowed in the city.

In a mock city council meeting Wednesday, students voted down an ordinance authorizing the city to enter into an agreement with Boyd Missouri Inc. and Boyd Gaming Corp.

The mock meeting was part of the 11th annual Optimist Youth in Government Day. More than 80 juniors at Cape Girardeau Central, Notre Dame, Delta, Jackson and Oak Ridge high schools participated.

Mock council meetings were held in Jackson and Cape Girardeau city halls. A mock Cape Girardeau County Commission meeting was also held.

The students filled the roles of public officials. They met with the officials they represented prior to the mock meetings. The students representing city council members or county commissioners then worked with actual agendas and presided over mock meetings.

The Youth in Government Day is an excellent opportunity for students to get a first-hand look at how government works, said Thomas M. Meyer, co-chairman of the event. "We hope that with this exposure to the governmental process our students will understand the importance of citizen involvement," he said. "Many of them will soon be 18 years of age, and their future involvement as citizens is vital."

The day also makes students aware of the various careers in the public sector. Meyer said it gives students a taste of government, which helps them see if is a profession they would like to pursue. Some students who have participated in the event have actually gone into the field they participated in during the mock meeting, said Meyer.

Bonnie Taylor from Central High acted as the mayor of Cape Girardeau. Taylor said it was a lot harder than she thought it would be.

"I didn't know people would be jumping up and interrupting the meeting all the time," she said. "The hardest part was handling the disruptions. During the meeting I realized that being the mayor is a real job and harder than I thought."

The real city council members and public officials interrupted the meeting several times to ask questions and challenge the students. They used aliases such as I.B. Offended and I.M. Forit to identify themselves.

Cape Central student Wade Russell said being on the council isn't as easy as it looks. "We had to deal with different people throughout the meeting," he said. "Every issue has two sides: One for and one against, and it's tough to weigh each side."

Central student Kelly Hilterbrand, a mock council member, said she was surprised that the gambling ordinance failed.

"I was really surprised that the students killed the gambling issue," she said, "when the adults approved it. I personally voted against it because I believe gambling is morally wrong."

During the mock meeting the students heard requests for special-use permits, historic-landmark zoning classification requests and a number of city ordinances. After the meeting all the students had lunch at the Knight of Columbus Hall in Jackson.