Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

City Government Week

April 3-9 is City Government Week, an opportunity for city leaders and staff, as well as the public they serve, to recognize the role local government plays in their community.

So this week, city officials in New Rockford are putting together a few events to celebrate the work being done for their city and to engage children in their local government – beginning with a coloring contest.

Starting today, the City of New Rockford has coloring pages at city hall for parents and kids to pick up. Once the children have completed their masterpiece, they can then return them to city hall where they'll be displayed.

Meanwhile the city is also holding a week-long trivia contest on the City of New Rockford Facebook page. The contest includes questions about New Rockford and prizes will be awarded!

Also on April 3, the New Rockford City Commission is encouraging high school students to attend their meeting at 7 p.m., where they can experience firsthand how local government operates, and how the decisions that impact their lives get made.

As many already know, while national politics in D.C. often fill the headlines and fuel the most discussion, it's the local government bodies that are more likely to have a material impact on your daily lives – and New Rockford is no different.

Meanwhile, New Rockford City Auditor Becki Schumacher and Commission President Stu Richter have already been working to get kids more involved with their city government.

Schumacher invited third graders at NR-S to participate in the North Dakota League of Cities' "If I Were Mayor Essay 2023 Contest," a statewide contest in which one third grader will receive $150.

The third graders accepted the challenge, and each student was asked to write a short essay about what they'd do if they were mayor. But first, Richter went to their class and spoke to them about what it means to be at the head of the table.

Each third grader was then prompted to answer two questions in their essay: "Why is your city great – what makes it special?" and "What would you do to improve your city if you were mayor?"

The third graders wrote some excellent essays, and as one might expect the kids had some creative ideas.

The essays have since been submitted to the North Dakota League of Cities, who will judge them and determine the winners sometime this week. The best essays will also be published in the North Dakota League of Cities' magazine, "CITYScan."

In the meantime, readers can find a few of the local third graders' essays on page A3.