Imperial council adds student to 'Mayor for a Day' finalist list after application dispute

The Imperial City Council voted unanimously Wednesday to add Frank Wright Middle School student Alistair Lopez to the list of finalists for the city's Mayor for a Day program after Lopez and his grandfather said his application had not been seen by the school selection panel.

Lopez told the council he believed his application “was unfairly disregarded,” and asked the five elected members to review his submission. His grandfather, Gustavo Reza, said a Unified School District staff member told him the district could not find the application when contacted and that neither the district nor the city had notified Lopez about the outcome.

City presenter Dennis Smith told the council the Mayor for a Day program has traditionally relied on schools to forward the top three student submissions and that this year the city received three essays from the district. Smith said the city did not directly receive the broader set of applications and that the three essays were those forwarded by the school.

Citing the public comments, council members proposed adding Lopez to the finalists. A motion to add Lopez to the pool passed with a unanimous 5-0 vote. The council also agreed — with Lopez’s assent on the record — to have staff upload a redacted copy of his submission to the city website so the public can review his essay without exposing his name.

Council members said they will review the selection process for next year so the city has direct access to applications rather than relying solely on the school district to forward finalists. Smith and other staff told the council they will work with the school district on the process going forward and that the city will post the other finalists’ essays as public records.

The council took formal action to add Lopez to the finalist list and directed staff to post a redacted copy of Lopez’s essay. The item will appear on the city website and was scheduled to appear later on the evening’s agenda for the council to finalize program logistics.

Why it matters: The Mayor for a Day program is designed to introduce students to local government and civic participation. Council members said ensuring the process is transparent is intended to preserve the program’s educational purpose and public trust.