By: Taylor Christensen | Royal Oak Review | Published October 9, 2024
ROYAL OAK — High school students who are on governmental boards or committees in the city of Royal Oak are now allowed to have a vote in matters discussed on said boards or committees.
On Sept. 23, the Royal Oak City Commission approved an amendment in a 6-1 vote allowing appointed student members of advisory boards and committees to vote.
The first reading of this amendment took place on Aug. 12 at the City Commision meeting, and then on Aug. 26 it was decided that the City Attorney should take some more time to revise the proposed ordinance.
“The revised proposed ordinance first states that all student members will be voting members unless the commission determines that a particular student’s appointment to a board or commission is non-voting,” the document states.
The document also states that there are only to be two student members appointed to a board or commission at any given time, as discussed by the City Commission.
The term of student appointments will be the duration of the school year and will end at the start of summer.
“The membership changes the composition of the board during the term of the student’s time on the board,” City Attorney Niccolas Grochowski said at the meeting. “It coincides with their school year.”
City Commissioner Melanie Macey said that she is pleased with the rewriting of the proposal.
“This is a very elegantly crafted solution, I love that it is flexible and works for all of these boards,” Macey said.
Commissioner Amanda Herzog agreed with Macey, saying that having the students vote enhances their time as board members and gives them an opportunity to voice their opinions.
In a meeting that took place Aug. 26, the commissioners had an in-depth discussion on what allowing student members of boards to vote would look like.
Macey was in favor of the idea on Aug. 26, saying that it seemed “unfair” to have students on the boards while not allowing them to vote.
“There are some very capable, smart kids, and those are the ones who are coming forward and saying, ‘I want to help my community by serving on these boards,’” she said. “Once they are there (on the boards), it feels really unfair to say, “Your voice counts, but not as much as everyone else’s.’”
Commissioner Brandon Kolo said Aug. 26 that allowing students to vote adds a different perspective that can help bring additions to the city for younger generations.
“If we don’t actually have youth engaging in what we are talking about and looking at the best way to make these decisions, you know, they are the future and really can add a new multigenerational voice to how we grow and improve our city,” Kolo said.
On Sept. 23, Mayor Michael Fournier voted no on the motion. He said he has a few reservations about allowing students to have this voting member power.
At the Aug. 26 meeting, Fournier went more into detail about why he did not 100% support the idea, saying that it’s not a matter of maturity, but a matter of protecting the students from consequences that can come from being a voting member.
“I can only imagine a 14-, 15-, 16-year-old kid having a discussion about what books should or should not be put in the library and having folks try to persuade that individual, and I think that is a concern to me,” he said. “For me, it is not an issue of maturity or competency; it’s more of a concern of unfortunately in today’s political climate there are aggressors out there that challenge anybody who votes.”