West Peoria Residents' Association

  Government Day, sponsored by the city of West Peoria and West Peoria Township, was held on April 17, 2009, at West Peoria City Hall.  Students from Calvin Coolidge Middle School (15), St. Mark’s Grade School (11), Manual High School (11), and Notre Dame (9) participated in mock city council meetings.  There was a morning session from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. for the 26 middle students and an afternoon session from 12:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. for the 20 high school students.    In advance preparation for this event, each school had selected students to serve as government officials including a mayor, a city clerk, a city treasurer, a city administrator, a city attorney, and eight aldermen.  Each student received a packet with information about the city of West Peoria and a job description for each of the city officials.   West Peoria Mayor James Dillon began each session by explaining to the students the duties of the mayor and city council members.  West Peoria City Clerk Carol Stephens described the duties of city clerk.    At the beginning of the mock city council meeting, the mock mayor invited everyone to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag.  The mock city clerk then called roll.  Then the mock city officials were given an agenda that included two ordinances to be discussed and voted on.    Middle school students from Calvin Coolidge and St. Mark’s were presented with Ordinance #2009-09, which would require all bicyclists to wear bicycle helmets while riding in West Peoria, and Ordinance #2009-10, which would create a 9 p.m. week day curfew and a 11 p.m. weekend curfew for young people from ages 13 to 17.    High school students from Manual and Notre Dame were presented with Ordinance #2009-04, which would permit high school drivers to have only one underage passenger present in the car while driving, and Ordinance #2009-10, which would ban all cell phone use while driving.   All four topics generated considerable discussion before a vote was taken.   Eleven of the participants, who were eighteen years old, registered to vote while at City Hall.  Now they are ready to vote in West Peoria’s next “real” election.   Each group of students spent the other half of their day at the West Peoria City Garage, where township officials explained township government to the students.   Marge Maroon took group pictures of students from each school as well as pictures of each student with Mayor Dillon.  Each school will receive copies of these photos.   Of course, refreshments were served:  donuts, milk, and orange juice in the morning and pizza and soda for lunch, which was served at the city garage.