Doll is one of four honored in Mayor for a Day contest

By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

If you were mayor for a day, what would you do to make one of the services that your city provides even better?

That was exactly the question posed to fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students throughout Minnesota recently as the League of Minnesota Cities challenged students to think big about their community as a whole in their 11th annual Mayor for a Day Essay Contest.

A local student, skilled in both writing and thinking of the big picture, won the award in the New York Mills Elementary School. Bailey Doll, sixth grade, was one of four winning essay winners this year with her suggestions on how to make NY Mills’ services even better.

“I knew some things I could improve in our town because there’s some things that Mills doesn’t have the bigger towns do have,” said Doll.

Doll’s suggestions ranged from street maintenance, sign installation, and a big one: a central facility for people to learn all about NY Mills and how to get involved.

“I think it’s important because there’s a lot of things that would be a good benefit to you being included and would be really good to improve yourself,” she said of being involved in the community.

When Doll completed her essay, she thought nothing of it, knowing that there was a large amount of submissions. With over 500 entries from across the state of Minnesota, she knew there was stiff competition. Only in January did she learn that she had been one of the top four to place with her essay.

“I was surprised when I found out because I heard how many people submitted the essay and I was proud because there was a lot.”

The League of Minnesota Cities sponsors this essay competition each year to raise awareness of city services that are part of citizens’ daily lives and to inspire the next generation of city leaders, including Doll. She mentioned in her essay that she learned a lot from this assignment.

“It made me think a lot,” she wrote. “The things that I started to think about are street maintenance, the community, and what’s happening that is good in our town.”

Alongside fifth and sixth graders in Shoreview, Byron, and St. Louis Park, Doll’s essay will be published in the March-April issue of Minnesota Cities magazine. They will also receive a plaque and a check for $100.

“I’ll probably save it,” smiled Doll when asked about the award money. “I don’t have any plans for it.”

With a final thought on her proposed city improvements, Doll reflected on her favorite parts of being a member of the NY Mills community.

“There’s a lot of good things that are in Mills and I think being a part of it is really good for me,” she said. “There’s a lot of good people in Mills.”

Bailey’s essay

Have you ever thought of what you would do if you were a mayor trying to better your own town? Well if you haven’t, hopefully this essay will get you thinking about it because it made me think a lot. The things that I started to think about are street maintenance, the community, and what’s happening that is good in our town.

Street maintenance is very important because without it there would be too many car accidents for people to even be on the road. With street maintenance there will be less accidents. The type of things that prevent us from having accidents are traffic lights and signs. If the people want to get a certain sign in their neighborhood, I would try my hardest to make that process easier for whoever believes that their neighborhood should have that sign or warning. Or, if they have any other questions, they can ask me any questions that are relevant to the problem they are having.

The community is one of the most important things in a municipality. It’s important because community is a word that symbolizes coming together and helping one another for the better. Being involved is one of the best things you could do for yourself and the thing you want to be involved in. Another reason it’s a good thing is that you can make many friendships. Just think about all the good things you can and should do by being involved in a community. Taking a part in any community is a good thing because it will make everyone feel at home with the friends they make.

There are things I like in my town and things I think should be added. There are a lot of things that come to mind when I think about what is good but the main thing is all the great people that are in my town. One thing that I would want to add to New York Mills is a place that anyone could go to, to learn about New York Mills. Although Mills has a website, which is more convenient these days, hopefully people like myself would think it would be a good idea to make a place to go and learn about Mills. It allows people to get out of their house which is always a good thing.

Street maintenance can be improved, and community, it’s important to be together, and you can learn a lot from being involved in one. There are many good things that are in my town and the things that I think could be noticed or made better. Now that I’m done, what would you do if you were mayor for the day?