By Bo Larsen | Special to Independent Newsmedia
The City of Peoria will be the first Arizona city to appoint a youth to an ex-officio seat with the City Council Oct. 1. Jacob Jelinek, a senior at Sunrise Mountain High Schoolin Peoria, will be sworn in as the Youth Council Liaison, joining the Mayor and City Council members at the dais.
“Youth are an incredible resource for our community, so I feel it is a wonderful opportunity to have one of our youth leaders be a part of the discussion during City Council meetings,” said Jon Edwards, City Council member.
The youth liaison will receive council agendas in advance of meetings with the opportunity to ask questions of department leaders prior to City Council meetings. The non-voting youth liaison may provide perspective on any agenda items during the Council meetings. The youth liaison will then report back to the city’s Youth Advisory Board regarding key issues occurring in Peoria.