2022 "If I Were Mayor" Essay Winners Announced
The Mayors’ Council of Oklahoma (MCO) and the Oklahoma Municipal League (OML) are pleased to announce the 2022 winners of the annual “If I Were Mayor” essay contest.
The essay contest provides an opportunity for 8th grade students from across Oklahoma to engage with their communities. The MCO asks that the Mayors in each community reach out to their 8th grade students to discuss the role that a Mayor has in municipal government, and the vital role that they have in leading a community.
The 2022 Winners are:
1st Place: Jet Thompson, Sallisaw Middle School, Brandy Reaves, teacher, Ernie Martens, Mayor
2nd Place: Eliana Roa, Shawnee Middle School, Heather DeShazer, teacher, Ed Bolt, Mayor
3rd Place: Zachary Hatfield, Locust Grove Middle School, Kim Yates, teacher, Jason Williams, Mayor
In his winning essay, Jet Thompson talked about job creation and the use of incentives to grow the local economy. With an increase in local spending, there would be an increase in funding that could be used to improve infrastructure. Along with improving roads, he would like to create more public parks.
Second place winner, Eliana Roa, stated in her essay that if she was mayor, she would focus on economic growth and development. She would create an economic fund that attracts manufacturers to Shawnee to create quality jobs. Eliana would also focus on beautification needs by creating a volunteer organization for that purpose. In addition, she would promote local artists through art in public places program.
Zachary Hatfield, third place winner, also wants to grow the economy by bringing in new businesses with targeted tax incentives. Another area of focus would be on infrastructure by working to replace Locust Grove’s aging municipal water system by implementing a sales tax and working with state and local governments on available grants. Zachary would also like to build a new park complete with walking and biking trails to create a more active community.
“We would like to congratulate the winners of the 2022 “If I Were Mayor” Essay Contest,” said Craig Parham, Mayor of Amber, and MCO President. “We appreciate all of the students from across the state who took the time to learn more about municipal government and entered an essay. We hope this is just the beginning of their engagement with their local government.”
“One of most important duties we have at the local level is to identify the next generation of municipal leaders,” said Mike Fina, Executive Director of OML. “Municipal government is the form of government closest to the people and this essay contest shows young people that they can be involved and make a difference in their communities. Our hope is that this contest will spark an interest in serving their communities.”
The Oklahoma Municipal League is the authoritative source for information, training, and resources on effective local government for member organizations and is recognized as the unified voice of Oklahoma Cities and Towns.
The Mayors' Council of Oklahoma was formed in 1991 as a bipartisan organization to represent the concerns and views of the body of the state’s Mayors. MCO provides a vehicle for the development and implementation of programs of multi-jurisdictional cooperation between cities and towns designed to lessen the burden on local government. Oklahoma Mayors make the commitment to work through the conference to improve their own communities as well as the conditions facing cities and towns throughout the state and nation.
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