Smithfield council gives youth members a vote of thanks

By Kathryn Kemp

December 16, 2005 | SMITHFIELD -- Smithfield's City Council had a few extra members Wednesday night, when the city's youth council shadowed various members of the council.

Four Smithfield City Youth Council members sat along side the mayor and city council members to experience what it was like to be part of city government. Mayor Ray Winn even let the youth council "mayor" announce the items on the agenda as they were discussed.

The youth sat quietly through most of the meeting before going home to do homework, but the council members, especially their supervisor Kris Monson, had nothing but praise for the youth.

Monson has worked with the youth council for about seven years, and said,"This is the best bunch of kids I've ever worked with."

City Recorder Dean Clegg spoke for the Lion's Club and expressed appreciation for the youth council, who delivered a bag of about 30 pairs of glasses to them, after they went trick-or-treating for glasses the night before Halloween. "The kids dressed up and everything!" Monson said.

The youth council has been involved in a variety of other service activities as well. Recently they decorated sugar cookies and took them out caroling. This coming week they will be delivering cheese and crackers to people in the community. And soon after that they will be going caroling for canned food.

"It's these kids' ideas, not us leaders," Monson said. She thanked the city council for the budget that has allowed them to do projects such as these. "They're doing a really good job," she said.

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