2021-11-10 Youth Commission MinutesEdmonds Youth Commission - Minutes of 11/10/21
Meeting
Commission Members Present:
Chair Owen Lee
Sydney Pearson
Sam Yi
Acting Secretary Brook Roberts
Brooke Rinehimer
Julie Andres
Aaron Nateephaisan
Staff Present:
Jay Sandstrom, Youth Commission Coordinator
Commissioners Absent:
Audrey Lim
Chelsea Beck
Finn Paynich
Mara Yenter
Councilmembers Present:
Laura Johnson
Members of the Public:
Will Chen
Guest Speaker:
Clark Weigman
I. CALL TO ORDER
Chair Owen Lee called the meeting to order at 6:03 PM.
Sam read the land acknowledgment statement.
II. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Chair Owen Lee made a motion to add an agenda item to elect an acting secretary; Brook
seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Chair Owen Lee made a motion to approve the meeting's agenda; Brook seconded the motion.
The motion passed unanimously.
III. APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 13, 2021 MEETING MINUTES
Chair Owen Lee made a motion to approve the minutes of the October 27, 2021 meeting; Sam
seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS
Will Chen wanted to say "hi" to the Youth Commission and is excited for Clark
Weigman's upcoming presentation and his work at the Civic Park.
V. PRESENTATION BY CLARK WEIGMAN, CIVIC PARK ARTIST
Mr. Weigman presented an overview of his previous work. The presentation is attached to the
minutes. His website is artifacture.org.
Sam: He noted that the piece honoring the Japanese families in the internment camps
resonated with him.
Sydney: She was wondering what Mr. Weigman's favorite piece that he did.
o He recalled a water wall project that had to be removed from Key
Arena/Climate Pledge Arena after a legal battle. It involved compositions,
creating a CPU, as water and light patterns would change as people moved
through it. It lasted 25 years, starting in 1990.
Brooke: She was moved by how much he used input from the people around each site
and took into account the environmental setting around the sites.
o Mr. Weigman goes for combining political sensibility and expressing it
aesthetically.
Julie: Noted that he was an artistic genius and loves how he incorporates history,
activism, and community in all of his pieces. She asked how many pieces he plans on
putting into Civic Park.
o Mr. Weigman stated that there were two prospective sites and that the city
wants to have art with visibility, but it is hard to do with the architect. He is
coming into the project late. He wants a light aspect and wants to create an
experience for the viewer.
o He wants to look for opportunities near the Skate Park and the wall next to it,
and use that wall for projections, etc. Perhaps there could be a collaboration
with the Youth Commission and the Boys and Girls Club? He is open to contact
him about feedback.
Brook: Thanks for the presentation and he's excited to see the final product.
Aaron: Likes how he gets the community involved in the artwork. Wonders how long it
takes for a project to be completed?
o Some projects never end, like the project he did relating to homelessness. Other
projects have been completed in a short timeframe (6 weeks), as determined by
the funder of the work. The shorter projects are extreme, however, most of his
transit projects have taken 4-7 years, most of which was spent on trying to get
people to consensus.
Owen: Appreciate him being here and enjoys how he combines the site and the
community input.
Mr. Weigman was curious if anybody was interested in the design fabrication process. Brooke
noted that it sounded interesting. He also asked if there were communities that the Youth
Commissioners represent that they would like to see involved and if there were any youth
attractions that the commission would like to see. Lastly, is there anything about Civic Park that
holds any specific meaning? Commissioners can email him.
Brook suggested any exercise equipment being worked into the art design. Mr.
Weigman responded noting that it has already been worked into other areas of
the park, but he has been thinking about the large plaza and creating an
experience of physical engagement (cognitive play, etc.)
Owen noted that he used to go to the circus at the Civic Park and had very fond
memories of that. Councilmember Johnson remembered that it was called the
"Wenatchee Circus."
Will Chen hoped that the project could encompass all communities of Edmonds
(multi -cultural), despite being in the Downtown area. He offered his help,
having worked with Chinese and Korean -Americans and serving as a Board
Member for multiple multi -cultural organizations.
Councilmember Johnson said that her son is a big skateboarder and that there is
much excitement from that community. She will go through Shannon about
appropriate contacts to send to Mr. Weigman.
Jay noted that there will be sports courts at Civic Park and that a plan can be found here:
https://plcdn4static.civiclive.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server 16494932/File/Government/Depar
tments/Parks,%20Recreation%20and%2OCultural%2OServices/Planning%20&%2OPromects/Civic
%20Center%2OMaster%20PIan/190402 City Council Civic Update 4.2.19.pdf.
Brook raised a point of order, advising that no interim secretary was selected. Owen said that he
remembered and that he took notes during the presentation. Jay can also provide a video of the
meeting and that somebody will have the job at the end of this meeting, so it's best that
someone gets started.
Chair Owen Lee made a motion to elect himself as the interim secretary; Brook seconded the
motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Chair Owen Lee made a motion to remove agenda items 7 and 10: Diversity Commission update
and committee selection for new members; Brook seconded the motion. The motion passed
unanimously.
VI. LEADERSHIP ELECTIONS
Jay has compiled a list of nominations.
Owen was the only nominee for Chair and appreciates the supported leadership.
Brook Roberts, Brooke Rinehimer, and Sydney were nominated for the position of Co -Chair.
Brook wants to build off of last year's momentum and create a cohesive process for how
items get passed through committees and sent to the entire commission. He wants to
build connections with other commissions in the region and our city and create
coalitions. He noted that his experience as the Student Representative on City Council
can benefit the commission in terms of navigating the confusing world of city
government.
Sydney apologized for her Wad being off. She would love to be Co -Chair because she has
served on the commission since its founding and knows how to make meetings efficient.
She has served as President of multiple clubs at her school, is responsible and organized,
and is good at communicating (sending emails for communicating with city members
and guest speakers). She thinks we have good vague goals and wants to create concrete
goals and looks forward to what we can do during her last year on the commission.
Brooke knows that she joined the commission at the beginning of last year and saw the
idea of having committees start from the ground up. She has ideas on how to get ideas
running and as Co -Chair, she wants to create groundwork that can allow committees to
succeed in future years. As a senior, she is interested in ensuring that younger
commissioners have the same great experience on the commission.
Sam asked how those who were absent from the meeting would vote. Owen advised that it is
best that we get it done sooner than later. Brook mentioned that last year, nominations and
intentions to run were sent via email and Kim sent out an email to everyone who ran for each
position a sentence of why they're running. Commissioner voted through email. Jay agreed and
will send an election email at the end of this meeting.
Sam and Brook were nominated for the secretary position. Both rejected the nomination. Jay
echoed that it is critical that someone steps up for the position as the meeting minutes are
important for us to adhere to the OPMA. Councilmember Johnson suggested that the role could
be shared between two people to decrease the workload. It is unclear whether the
commission's ordinance would have to be updated to make that happen; this will be looked
into. Jay reminded everyone that the work can be shared if need be and that someone needs to
fulfill the role to avoid an unnecessary and unwanted appointment into the role.
Brook wondered if it was possible to eliminate the secretary position and transfer the
responsibilities to the Youth Commission Coordinator. The Diversity Commission does not have
a secretary and city staff completes the minutes on their behalf. Jay preferred to keep the roles
as they were to avoid making changes while Casey is on leave. The positions have been outlined
and held by commissioners since the beginning of the commission, so keeping it as is would be
best.
Owen was secretary for the first few years of the commission and understands the difficulties.
Brook has done them for the past year in a more detailed manner, with the online meetings and
being able to re -watch the meeting. Both would be willing to help the new secretary with
templates, advice with time management during meetings, etc. Taking quick notes is a great skill
to have to put on your resume and Owen encourages people to sign up for it. It will also give you
a role in the leadership group of the commission, as well. He'd be happy to send past minutes. A
follow-up conversation about the role is welcomed if you are remotely interested. If nobody
steps up, Jay will talk to Shannon and see what the course of action is to address the need of the
position.
Audrey, Julie, and Brooke either chose to run or were nominated for the Communications
Manager role.
Julie did not nominate herself, but she wants to run. She likes Instagram and knows her
way around it, especially with creating informational graphics about it.
Brooke didn't nominate herself, but would also be interested in it. She asked if she
needs to pick a position to run for if she's being considered for two positions. The
decision to run for both or one will be left up to her. Brooke withdrew her application to
become the Co -Chair.
o Julie can withdraw if Brooke wants the position more.
o Since Audrey wasn't present, Communications Manager candidates will submit
a sentence to Jay via email as to why they want to run, and that will be sent to
the whole commission. Brook asked if the same should be done for other
positions. Jay agreed, all candidates are encouraged to do so.
o Tomorrow (Thursday) will be the last day to submit the sentence and voting will
be due by Monday.
As he wanted to discuss the Youth Commission dissolution comment, Chair Owen Lee made a
motion to extend the meeting by 15 minutes to end at 7:45 PM; Brook seconded the motion.
The motion passed unanimously.
VII. GOOGLE DRIVE AND INSTAGRAM POST INTRO
Owen introduced Canva as a tool to make Instagram posts for the commission and is working to
curate a Google Drive folder that has all of the commission's current and previous materials
(agendas, minutes, etc.) It will be helpful for upcoming years when the senior class graduates.
He'll send out a sharing link via GroupMe later on.
VIII. YOUTH COMMISSION DISSOLUTION COMMENT
On November 4th, a citizen wrote the following email to the Edmonds City Council asking them
to dissolve the Edmonds Youth Commission.
"Dear Edmonds City Council,
I'm writing this as persuasively as 1 can. I coached soccer in Edmonds for years and it's beautiful
to see children you know grow up to be "yutes" (as Cousin Vinny would say). It's a different
feeling to see students who do not have a complete faculty of politics (i.e. the ugliness, the
tribalism) engaged with adults in protests and in divisive social media conversations. I've seen
kids who 1 know well protesting [both Left and Right] wedge issues, and it's cringe -worthy and
sad. I'm ashamed of myself when I see that. I don't know specifically why, but does everyone
else feel that way?
Edmonds had a Youth Commission Member say some things that half the town supported, but
the other half of the town thought was hate speech. The youth got fired and a lot of politicized
attention. The Mayor held a vigil of some kind to rebuke the kid. There were protests on the
street corners over a youth's words. We've also seen a Youth Commission Member on the
opposite side of the political spectrum lecturing adults (veterans, business owners, taxpayers) for
attending a City Council Meeting and [rightly or wrongly] having an opinion not aligned with
theirs.
I hope at this time you can tell 1 am being vague. This is because adults cannot specifically
engage minors on topics like these. Youth Commission Members (and other Edmonds students)
are entering the fray. There are social media threads where youths are lap -dogging adults and
engaging in political attacks on Neil Tibbott (for example) and Alicia Crank (for example). It is a
major moral and legal liability to have unaccountable persons, who are also part of an official
city charter, engaged in some of the things I think we've all seen. I've seen discussions around
stacking the Youth Commission with kids of other political affinities. I'm not surprised to come
across this idea. It is not right.
Kids should be politically active. This is what Student Councils and elections for Class Presidents
are for. We should actively foster politically active students in a sandbox -one designed for
them, protected from the blowback that adults aren't [and shouldn't be] immune to. Students
are radicalizing, and adults these days are oft too stupid to know not to co-opt that for their own
devices.
Please dissolve the Youth Commission tactfully."
Owen noted that the references in the email were to the City Council's Student Representatives.
The first one being, Zach Bauder, who, in 2020, made a comment at a city council meeting
saying that the Black Lives Matter movement was a lie. His statement sparked controversy in
and out of the city. Zach was not a member of the Youth Commission. Brook, the current
Student Representative on the council, and a current youth commissioner noted that the email
referred to him in the second reference (see "We've also seen a Youth Commission Member on
the opposite side of the political spectrum lecturing adults (veterans, business owners,
taxpayers) for attending a City Council Meeting and [rightly or wrongly] having an opinion not
aligned with theirs.")
Brook clarified the email, noting that it left out the critical context. He thinks the comment is
referring to his final comment at two in -person council meetings held during the summer. The
first of which had 50+ members of the public unmasked in an enclosed space to which he
reminded everyone to wear a mask and get vaccinated and that COVID was still looming. The
second of which was at a meeting where councilmembers were harassed and called names by
members of the public to which he responded by saying that all comments are on record. There
is a video recording of them, they are posted on the city website (with names), and that the
hostile commenters were horrible examples for his generation.
Owen summarized the email by saying that "we should not have the Youth Commission because
youth should be kept out of politics" and noted that he disagreed with the statement. Jay gave a
reminder from Shannon: "Actions taken outside of formal youth commission functions are still
tied to the commission from the public's perspective. This is an important opportunity for the
entire commission to gain a deeper understanding of Civics and politics and I think it is an
important part of our journey." Jay also mentioned that the names of each commissioner are on
the city website and that the commission has proven that it has sway in city decisions. It does tie
commissioners to the youth commission when making comments outside of the commission
and defining our roles and rules on the commission is important. The youth commission's role is
to provide perspective, but when we get too deep in the weeds of trying to drive something,
public perception can become something unintended. Owen gave a chance for commissioners
to share their thoughts and perspective.
Julie felt the message talked about political sides and that the youth commission hasn't
made it clear which side we're on. We don't have to pick a side.
D Brook said that if we've gotten this type of comment, it shows that we've done
something and made an impact in our community. We have influence and we're going
to get hate, no matter what we do. Additionally, the commenter constantly makes these
types of comments in an effort to stay relevant. It's not worth wasting our time
discussing comments like these.
o Jay challenged Brook's perspective by saying that the commenter, as a member
of the public, has weight to his opinion. Just because he made a comment that
members of the group disagree with doesn't invalidate it. Commissioners should
find topics that they think are going to meet the commission's goals and focus
on those.
Owen commented that the youth commission's purpose is to represent youth and youth
issues. No issues that the commission has taken have gone against that. We have not
received negative comments from youth and that this is an adult perspective,
commenting on a commission that represents youth. However, he does agree that
commissioners shouldn't be overly criticized, but ultimately youth are the future. Youth
should continue to share their perspectives and the commission should continue to
advise. He recommends that if you are not comfortable showing what you post to the
public (being in the public eye), make your account private or don't post at all. Unless
you're willing to back something up, then don't share it with the public. In his opinion,
the comment is a good sign for the commission and that us receiving criticism shows
that we're getting our opinions out there and that we should continue to make our
voices heard. But, it does serve as a good reminder to everyone that we're in the public
eye and everything we share can be interpreted as being on behalf of the youth
commission, which is a big responsibility.
Councilmember Johnson pointed out that there is a mixing of the Youth Commission
and the Student Representative role, as the merits for dissolving the commission are
focused on actions taken by the Student Representative.
Brook agreed and followed up with Owen stating that our constituency is youth. We are
the Youth Commission. While adults are the taxpayers funding the staffing for the
commission, his opinion is that we should place a bigger emphasis on serving youth and
putting more weight on youth feedback than from a community member. He
acknowledged that the separation between positions is critical, as well.
D Sam mentioned that he isn't as outspoken as many people are on social media, but
suggested that if you're going to put something out there as a youth commissioner, you
have to be ready to defend it and opposing perspectives to rebut your points. If you
don't know what you're talking about, be careful about what you post.
o Jay made it clear that it's easy for people to say that if a youth commissioner
said or posted something, it's easy for the public to say that they were saying it
on behalf of the entire commission.
D Aaron noted that the email seemed more of a bashing than constructive criticism
towards the commission.
Brooke agreed that the youth commission tends to be more liberal, but in our area, the
youth population that we represent also does tend to be more liberal. While we're not
the perfect representation of the youth we represent (and never will be), we are a good
representation. She would also go far to argue that selection is based not on political
values or agendas, but on passion exhibited by applicants. Nobody on the commission is
here for a political reason as we are not politicians. We don't have anything at stake in
politics right now, as most of us can't vote, but those who can understand the
importance. She would argue that the language in the email is not reflective of the
commission at all but more of a misinterpretation of what she believes are Brook's
tweets and final comments. While we read it in a way that Brook meant it, maybe this
person did not? It could have been a purposeful misinterpretation, but anything can be
misinterpreted, whether on purpose or not.
Sydney was confused about stacking the youth commission with different political
ideologies.
o Jay thought it was the person's interpretation of their opinion on what they
think the youth commission is trying to do and their formed narrative. They
have used Brook's comments to misinterpret the commission as a whole.
o Brook suggested the commenter was misguided. There is currently a divide on
the council, however, councilmembers that lean in one direction or another do
not know any political opinions of the applicants when they appoint new
members. There's no way for a council member to see how an applicant leans
politically during the application process.
Brook moved to extend the meeting by 5 minutes to end at 7:50 PM; Chair Owen Lee
seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
IX. FINAL COMMENTS
Jay: Everyone provided great insight and he thinks that as we talk about our roles as a
commission, he wants to see the conversation continue to happen regarding what we
want to do and focus on as a commission. He's excited to be a part of it. Secondly,
please check your city emails as that will be the primary method of communication.
GroupMe is a less formal option that sends messages quicker to him. The next
commission meeting will be on November 17th which Shannon will run. Please submit
your leadership votes. If you are a candidate for a leadership position, please submit a
short sentence about why you are running.
D Owen: Would appreciate help in completing the minutes. Also, Mindy Woods (Human
Services Program Manager & Diversity Commissioner) reached out to him about a Lunar
New Year event she was looking to plan. He will also send out a Google Drive link to
everyone and wants the juniors that will continue on the commission to pin it. And
please vote for officers.
o Councilmember Johnson noted that he is on vacation. Owen also said that he
has college applications and upcoming tests.
o Brook offered to do the minutes. Owen will reach out to him after the meeting.
X. ADJOURNMENT
Chair Owen Lee adjourned the meeting at 7:52 PM.