One interesting topic at a City Council meeting I attended was that of elections for the council. As someone deeply interested in government in politics, this was the most fascinating topic I heard all semester.
The Council was discussing elections because five members will be term limited at the end of this term, which means that a lot of wisdom will be leaving the Council at once. Because of this, some members of the Council supported changing from the current process, in which every member of the Council is up for election every two years, to stagnated four-year terms, in which half of the council runs every two years.
Supporters of the proposal argued that it would result in a generally more experienced Council, while opponents argued that this year is an anomaly and that having shorter terms allows for a more representative Council. From the outside, I would oppose the proposal because it is extremely rare to have this much turnover and shorter terms result in greater accountability.
Alec Camhi
My name is Alec Camhi, and I'm a junior at Cherry Creek High School.
I have been deeply involved in politics for as long as I can remember: back in Connecticut, where I grew up, my grandmother was a member of the city board of education for twelve years, the chairwoman of the Democratic City Committee for twenty-eight years, a member of the state board of education for the final three years of her life, and a DNC super delegate for about three decades.
Unsurprisingly, I have thus grown up with politics and government around me for my whole life, and I have a great deal of admiration for those who serve us in the government everyday. I have been raised to understand the value and importance of every level of government - not just the ones that are constantly in the spotlight - because I have always been so deeply involved with local races and news. The workings and activities of municipal and other local governments are often overlooked, but they often have at least as an important impact on the daily lives of those under its jurisdiction.
I am excited to carry the tradition of local involvement with which I grew up in Connecticut out to Colorado!
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