STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT CIVIC DUTY

CAPE GIRARDEAU -- High School juniors from Cape Central and Notre Dame Friday became city officials for a day, complete with a "mock" City Council meeting where they debated and acted on city business.

About 40 students from Cape Girardeau, Delta and Oak Ridge schools participated in Cape Girardeau Youth in Government Day, sponsored by the city's four optimists clubs.

Jackson High School Students also participated in a similar event, sponsored by the Jackson Optimists.

Students were selected by their teachers to serve as various city officials including: councilmen; department heads; and city clerk, engineer, planner, and attorney. Students also were named to various county offices including: collector, recorder of deeds, circuit clerk, prosecuting attorney and commissioner.

During a mock City Council meeting in Cape Girardeau, the students voted against a proposal to use taxpayer dollars to help fund operations of a Teen Activity Center.

The "council" also approved measures to widen Broadway Street, implement a city-wide building address numbering system, and participate in a mutual aid agreement among various police and fire protection agencies in the area. All the agenda items were actual issues that the City Council has dealt with in the past few months.

Members of the optimist clubs served as citizens speaking for and against the various items. Council members David Barklage and Mary Wulfers and Mayor Gene Rhodes also participated in the meeting.

Student Mayor Julie Kirchdoerfer of Notre Dame High School said the council meeting sparked in her an interest to follow more closely the workings of local government.

"I didn't really have any real interest of going into local politics or anything," she said. "But after today, it's an interest now."

Most of the students said the meeting made them realize that city government isn't as easy as it looks. The fact that role-playing citizens debated the pros and cons of contentious issues added to their challenge.

"It's a lot harder being a councilman than it looks," said Brian Eftink, also of Notre Dame. "It definitely increased my interest in (city government).

"It's something you just hear a little bit about, but there's a lot more to it."

William Campbell of Central High School said he was impressed with the scope of responsibilities that rest with the City Council.

"You see a lot of little things like a street getting fixed," Campbell said. "But all you see is that it was bumpy one day, and the next day it's fixed.

"You don't really think about the process that it goes through with the City Council and all the citizen input."

Gwenda Bennett of Central said it was difficult as a councilman to allow the mayor to preside over the meeting. She said there were times when she wanted to "be in charge."

Roy Roper of Central played the part of city manager. He said that as the city's top executive, he was "put on the spot" concerning controversial city matters.

But Roper said the experience was valuable and one that has instilled in him greater appreciation for the work of city officials. He said he plans to watch future City Council meetings on Channel 13, the local cable television public access station that broadcasts the meetings.

Tom M. Meyer, of the Cape Girardeau Evening Optimists, said the local optimists have sponsored the Youth in Government Day since 1981.

"There's been good cooperation from the city and county governments and the optimists and schools, without which we wouldn't be able to do it," Meyer said.

"The kids are learning the process of city government and increasing awareness as they're coming to the age to vote."

Meyer said the program helps to develop leadership skills in high school juniors who take those skills into the classroom and, eventually, the community. He said the increased awareness of how local government operates is an important facet to the program.

"They'll usually start reading the newspaper more and reviewing the decisions made by the council and compare it with what they might have done in the same situation," Meyer said.

At a luncheon at the Port Cape Girardeau restaurant, Circuit Judge Stephen Limbaugh Jr. spoke to the Youth in Government Day participants.

Limbaugh told the youths that they have an obligation as citizens to determine what God-given talents they have and to apply those skills with zeal to all endeavors, including civic duty.