Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Appointments Boards Youth Commission topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council administers oaths to Mayor's Youth Commission leaders; applicants present for museum and advisory committees
Summary
The council accepted the Mayor's Youth Commission report, administered oaths to newly selected youth mayor and mayor pro tem, and heard applications from residents seeking appointments to the museum board and Inclusive Sioux City Advisory Committee.
Sioux City council members accepted the Mayor's Youth Commission 2024 accomplishments and administered the oath of office to the commission's new mayor and mayor pro tem.
Mary Koster, representing Siouxland Cares and the Mayor's Youth Commission, said the commission received 29 applications this year and each applicant was accepted. "We have 18 female, 11 male," Koster said, and she listed the schools represented by members. Kayla Von Hayden, a senior at East High School and the commission's mayor, and other student presenters described programming and volunteer work; students reported that commission members contributed 2,820 volunteer hours across 55 activities in 2024.
The mayor administered the oath to the new youth mayor, Leila Lilly, who answered "I do," and to McKenna as mayor pro tem. Councilmembers praised the students' volunteerism and community work.
Separately, applicants for boards and committees spoke. Sean Olerandami asked to be reappointed to the Active Transportation Advisory Committee, saying he had served two years and wants to help make commuting by bike and walking safer and more feasible. Jess Lopez Walker introduced herself as an Inclusive Sioux City Advisory Committee applicant, noting two decades living in Sioux City and service with SHIP, Women Aware and the Native American PAC; she said she would bring a Native American perspective to the committee.
Rochelle Barnum, applying for the museum board, recounted a previous appointment attempt in which a motion to appoint her was withdrawn after a council member noted she was a woman. Barnum said she returned to apply again because she wants young women to feel welcome and able to contribute to the community. When council staff noted that a former state gender-balance requirement for boards had been repealed, Barnum said that policy did not apply to the museum board at the time of the earlier action.
Council moved several related items — including accepting the Inclusive Sioux City Advisory Committee annual report — as part of the consent agenda. One councilmember declared an abstention on a procurement item citing a conflict of interest. The meeting concluded with brief holiday remarks and adjournment.
