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Editorial: Deserving of the badge

Our View

The efforts of an 11-year-old at a recent Craig City Council meeting are an example to other youth — not to mention adults — that getting involved in the community and local government is important. The Editorial Board commends Jeremy Looper for his interest in local affairs and follow-through in presenting before the governing body.

Our View

The efforts of an 11-year-old at a recent Craig City Council meeting are an example to other youth — not to mention adults — that getting involved in the community and local government is important. The Editorial Board commends Jeremy Looper for his interest in local affairs and follow-through in presenting before the governing body.

Sometimes children aren’t just students. Sometimes, they’re our best teachers.

An example of one such youth is 11-year-old Craig resident Jeremy Looper.



Last week, Jeremy stood before the Craig City Council, as well as a podium that was nearly too tall for him, and lobbied the governing body to allow for domestic chickens in town.

Whether you agree with Jeremy’s position is irrelevant, and the Editorial Board isn’t taking a stand on Jeremy’s issue today.



What the board admires about Jeremy’s actions is that he came to the council well prepared and he made a case for elected officials to consider.

That’s a lesson for other youth, and even adults.

Jeremy didn’t complain or bemoan government failing or being unresponsive to its residents. He didn’t whine about the system.

Rather, he showed up at the meeting and stated his opinion, which is his right to do, and something that puts him in the minority of local residents.

He tried to use the system to institute the change he wanted to see in his community.

That may not sound impressive to some, but to the Editorial Board, it’s a fairly remarkable action from someone so young.

Jeremy, a member of Boy Scouts Troop No. 172, appeared at the meeting as part of a requirement for his Citizenship in the Community Merit Badge.

But, there’s an important distinction to keep in mind — he was only required to attend a meeting for the badge; his decision to address council members was his own.

That fact seemed to be lost on one local resident who attended the meeting and was somewhat critical of Jeremy’s stance as an effort at only getting the badge.

The Editorial Board doesn’t see it that way, and neither should the community.

We see Jeremy’s presentation as a young man stepping forward to discuss something important to him with his local leaders. That’s a bold step for someone so young, and one from which other residents who aren’t willing to contribute to community dialogue should learn.

We hope Jeremy gets that citizenship badge.

In our opinion, he certainly deserves it.

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