Junior Council people sought in McCandless

High school seniors and juniors in McCandless can now apply to serve as junior council members for the 2022-2023 school year.

McCandless is accepting applications up to July 5.

Junior council members are non-voting positions, but they can be involved in town matters in largely with projects of their choice, based upon their areas of interest, according to Sandra Villao, executive services coordinator for the town of McCandless. The student is able to work on individual projects, largely according to their own schedule with guidance from town administration, outside of required monthly meeting attendance.

Candidates for the McCandless program must be a Town of McCandless resident, who is an incoming high school junior or senior. The term coincides largely with the school year, specifically September or October through June, according to the www.townofmccandless.org.

The town hopes to inspire students to become involved in local government, said Villao.

McCandless Town Council “has instituted a junior councilperson program to help students better understand local government and how it works by welcoming them in the local government process,” she said.

The program adds a student perspective to council’s decision-making process.

The position will be filled in cooperation with the school districts that serve McCandless residents, primarily the North Allegheny School District, according to Villao.

Junior council members are tasked to provide a monthly report and attend a town council meeting once a month. Town council meetings currently are scheduled for the first and third Mondays of the month at the Town Hall on Grubbs Road at 7:30 p.m., with a few exceptions.

Junior council members have the opportunity to select a focus area, work collaboratively with the town on projects, assist town staff with information gathering and social media, foster greater student involvement by students and collaborate with junior council members from other local municipalities, Villao said.

The junior council person for the 2021-2022 school year was Gannon Sprinkle, 18, of McCandless, who will be majoring in government and politics at the University of Maryland this fall.

He said his experience provided a “greater understanding of our systems of government at the local level, and what is required to enact change in our community. It was a very insightful experience, and I now have a greater respect for our local governmental systems.”

Applications for the program can be found at www.townofmccandless.org.

The McCandless junior council person may work with junior council member from Franklin Park, which has a similar program and began accepting applications in April. Two candidates are up for the seats there, junior Ava DiGiacomo, and senior Rajat Reddy, both of North Allegheny.

Franklin Park Council will officially announce the candidates at their July meeting, according to Franklin Park Mayor Dennis O’Keefe. Recent NA graduate Jackie DiGiacomo, of Franklin Park, was last year’s representative.

DiGiacomo, 18, was instrumental in developing a community garden program this year. She so enjoyed her experience that her younger sister, an incoming junior, Ava is currently a candidate.

“I really loved getting to see how the council comes up with ideas and helps the borough,” DiGiacomo said. She enjoyed getting involved in the holidays events and meeting with local politicians.