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Kiwanis Kids take the gavel at Ottawa City Council · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Kawana's kids take the gavel at Ottawa’s City Council. Written by Emily
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  Beebe. This article is being read by an automated voice brought to
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  you by Everlet. For one night The city of Ottawa's business was
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  in smaller hands. Members of the Kiwanis Kids program took over the
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  Ottawa City Council on Monday, running a
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  special meeting, The Kiwanis Kids played the roles of the council people
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  such as mayor, police chief, fire chief, clerk, and commissioners. The
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  kids were each seated alongside the official whose job they were shadowing.
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  It is a special meeting, and not just because we're meeting on
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  Monday, Mayor Robert Hasty says by way of introduction. It's a special
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  meeting because it's Kawanis night. One by one the kids took their
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  places, the the kid mayor, portrayed by Sullivan Otter, gaveled in. Hello,
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  my name is Sullivan Otter and I'm an eighth grader, he said.
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  Tonight I have the honor of serving as Mayor of Ottawa. Otter
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  even explained the role of the job from the chair. The mayor's
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  job during the city council meeting is to lead the meeting, keep
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  it moving, and make sure everyone has a chance to be heard,
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  he said. The work during the meeting was more than just simulation.
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  The
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  kid moved and seconded real motions, read the actual monthly department reports,
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  and the council cast real votes on payroll, expenses, and engineering agreements.
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  Even the real news arrived in the kids voices. Reading October's fire
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  report, then Evening's Fire Chief, portrayed by Brooklyn and Twistle, shared that
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  October was the busiest month in Ottawa Fire Department history, with 426
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  total calls. The Kidd Police Chief, portrayed by Brooklyn Cheatham, reported that
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  the police department has hired two new police officers and is currently
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  in the process of hiring two more replacement officers, which will keep
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  the department fully staffed at 40 officers. She then closed with a
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  Veterans Day salute to the 12 veterans serving across the police department
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  and dispatch. Antwistle then shared a safety lesson. She said Lithium batteries
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  can overheat and catch fire, so never charge a device on your
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  bed and tell an adult if a battery gets hot or starts
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  to swell. Even kids like us can prevent fires by making safe
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  choices, Entwistle said. Roger Findley, who portrayed Commissioner Tom Genear Kai, delivered
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  a report of his own thanking firefighters and police for work that
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  goes beyond emergencies, and noting October's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day
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  collected nearly 500 pounds of unused prescription medication. The best moments were
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  the unscripted ones. Motions became eager, there were overlapping seconds, and the
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  kids were practically racing each other wanting to give seconds to motions.
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  Right before the meeting adjourned, the kids raided their night, with the
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  favorites among them being the city garage, the downtown fire station, and
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  the police station. Monday's meeting provided members of the Kiwanis Club the
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  opportunity to not only watch how local government works, but also run
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  it, handling the same reports, motions, and votes that the council members
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  face every month. Kowanis International is a volunteer service club founded in
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  Detroit in 1915 with a mission centered on serving children, and its
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  local clubs sponsor youth programs that build leadership through community service.