The Colorado Municipal League and COLOTRUST are inviting all seventh grade students in Colorado to participate in a statewide essay contest. Students are instructed to write an essay between 400 and 600 words on the topic “If I Were Mayor.”
“Many youth are not aware of the valuable services that their municipalities provide: bike paths, recreation centers, police officers, street lights and crosswalks are all provided by municipal government,” the essay contest topic description states. “If you were mayor, how would you explain the importance of municipal government to kids in your community?”
Four winners will receive $500 savings bonds and a stipend to attend and present their essays at the Colorado Municipal League Conference in June in Breckenridge with their parents and teacher.
Aspen Mayor Mick Ireland is encouraging local seventh graders to participate, adding that if anyone needs help with his or her essay, he’d be happy to talk with any essayist about being Mayor.
“It’s not all boring meetings and low pay, it’s a chance to do some good for people,” he said, adding that he loves his job.
Details and the official entry form are available here: http://www.cml.org/pdf_files/09_mayor.pdf. For more information on the Colorado Municipal League, visit www.cml.org. For more information on COLOTRUST, visit www.colotrust.com.