Marion 7th Grader 1 of 4 Iowans to Win 'If I Were Mayor' Essay Contest

Sometimes kids really do get it.

Take a look at Mekela Spence's winning essay about what she would do if she was mayor of Marion. She'd fix roads to improve transportation in a growing city, add to the list of community events to keep the local connections growing and promote the great schools and the housing market to attract new residents and business.

A major portion of the Vernon Middle School student's aspiration are to expand the "green" infrastructure around Marion, such as offering easy-to-use bike rentals, expand wind energy and solar power use and reduce Marion's carbon footprint.

Mekela is off to an admirable start, and that could be why the seventh grader won the first district title for her "If I Were Mayor" essay. Alison Frerking is listed as her teacher on the entry.

The statewide contest is run through the Iowa League of Cities.

Mekela was honored at a Marion City Council meeting last month. She read her essay and got the opportunity to hang with current Mayor Allen "Snooks" Bouska and other council members during the meeting.

Here's the essay:

lf l were mayor, | would always encourage people to get a good
education, because education helps build strong people and a strong
community. Marion is a great City, from the Marion Arts Festival run/walk to the, Christmas in the Park, and the Chocolate Walk, to the Swamp Fox Parade, and Marion by Moonlight. These events not only make us a great City, but a great community. By adding more events like these we can become closer and better.

Marion is a growing city; we are always trying to improve. l would start by replacing gravel, or broken roads to improve transportation. l would also advertise our new/pre-existing homes and great schools to bring more people and businesses.

Since we have been growing, I would also like us to become greener, and make a smaller carbon footprint. I would place Barclay's bikes around the city, these bikes are like carts at a mail, you pay for the amount of time you have them, and return them to any other station. Along with eco transportation, I would add solar panels to as many buildings as possible. Wind farms would be abundant around the city and our main power source.

While still holding Marion’s heritage l would try to bring new ideas.
l would like Marion to be a more culturally diverse city. By accepting new people, languages, and community celebrations, Marion can broaden its horizons and expose our youth.

Marion is an amazing city and even more a great community. With
good citizens and the right leadership, Marion can have a very bright future.

Other winners were:

Kody Craddick

District Two Winner and Statewide Winner

St. Joseph Catholic School in DeWitt

Teacher: Colleen Burke

Hailey Link

District Three Winner

West Central Valley Middle School

Teacher: Rachel Slyvester

Ryan Van Marel

District Four Winner

Sheldon Middle School

Teacher: Krystal Kooiker