Council names Kai Finley alternate to San Marcos Youth Commission; encourages other applicants to volunteer

The San Marcos City Council on Sept. 9 appointed Kai Finley as the alternate member of the city's Youth Commission and urged other applicants who were not selected to volunteer with Parks and Recreation events.

Mayor Jones nominated Kai Finley, a 14-year-old freshman at San Marcos High School, and the council approved the nomination by voice vote. "We have a very difficult decision to make," the mayor said before making the nomination; council members then praised all applicants for their qualifications.

Finley told the council during the appointment process that he had been involved in mentoring programs, volunteered teaching art and served as a group leader at a fine-arts camp. In his application remarks, he said he wanted to "serve on the youth commission because I care deeply about making San Marcos a place where everyone feels welcome and connected."

Several other candidates — Armando Pena, Gina Lee, Kendra Schreckengost, Madeline Cohen, Odin Coe and Sanvi Deshpande — introduced themselves during the meeting. Mayor Jones and other council members encouraged those applicants to help with city special events and said Parks and Recreation staff would reach out to coordinate volunteering opportunities.

Council members noted the difficulty of selecting one alternate from many strong applicants and spoke about the value of youth engagement. "Everybody here is an all star," Council member Musgrove said. The council will fill future vacancies as commissioners cycle off for college or other reasons, the mayor said.