Mayor for a Day Essay Contest Winners

Students from the cities of Byron, New York Mills, Shoreview, and St. Louis Park have been selected as winners of the League’s 2023 Mayor for a Day Essay Contest. In addition, judges selected four honorable mention essayists from the cities of Dilworth, Grand Marais, Lauderdale, and Windom. The League received more than 500 entries from students who reside in cities spanning the state.

The Mayor for a Day Essay Contest was launched in 2013 and continues to invite fourth, fifth, and sixth graders to share how they would make their communities even better places to live. In addition to having their essays published here, the four winners each receive a plaque and a check for $100. Honorable mention students receive a certificate of recognition, and excerpts from their essays appear here.

Some cities where the winning students reside also will arrange for recognition and city council meetings and other public events. City officials throughout the state supported the Mayor for a Day program by promoting it at their local schools, which often resulted in entire classes participating in the contest. Additionally, some students submitted entries independently. Essay finalists were judged by Nisswa City Administrator and League President Jenny Max and League Executive Director Luke Fischer.

The League thanks all teachers, city officials, parents, and guardians who encouraged students to submit essays. And congratulations to all participating students for your thoughtful essays.

Bailey Doll
6th Grade
NEW YORK MILLS

Have you ever thought of what you would do if you were a mayor trying to better your own town? Well, if you haven’t, hopefully this essay will get you thinking about it because it made me think a lot. The things that I started to think about are street maintenance, the community, and what’s happening that is good in our town.

Street maintenance is very important because without it there would be too many car accidents for people to even be on the road. With street maintenance there will be less accidents. The type of things that prevent us from having accidents are traffic lights and signs. If the people want to get a certain sign in their neighborhood, I would try my hardest to make that process easier for whoever believes that their neighborhood should have that sign or warning. Or, if they have any other questions, they can ask me any questions that are relevant to the problem they are having.

The community is one of the most important things in a municipality. It’s important because community is a word that symbolizes coming together and helping one another for the better. Being involved is one of the best things you could do for yourself and the thing you want to be involved in. Another reason it’s a good thing is that you can make many friendships. Just think about all the good things you can and should do by being involved in a community. Taking a part in any community is a good thing because it will make everyone feel at home with the friends they make.

There are things I like in my town and things I think should be added. There are a lot of things that come to mind when I think about what is good, but the main thing is all the great people that are in my town. One thing that I would want to add to New York Mills is a place that anyone could go to learn about New York Mills. Although Mills has a website, which is more convenient these days, hopefully people like myself think it would be a good idea to make a place to go and learn about Mills. It allows people to get out of their house, which is always a good thing.

Street maintenance can be improved. Community, it’s important to be together, and you can learn a lot from being involved in one. There are many good things that are in my town and there are things that I think could be noticed or made better. Now that I’m done, what would you do if you were mayor for the day?

Zahra Kaderbhai
6th Grade
SHOREVIEW

As mayor for a day, I would start a new program to allow people in the community to replant trees in public areas like city parks and other open spaces. Trees are so important — they give us fresh air, and keep us and the earth healthy. Trees are also homes to many animals and critters. Maple trees are my favorite!

Two summers ago, we had to cut down three ash trees in our backyard due to emerald ash borer bugs. These trees provided shade and shelter for birds and squirrels, and their loss saddened us. Unfortunately, the city is also removing other trees in the neighborhood due to the same issue. My program’s goal is to ensure that we are replacing as many lost trees as possible.

Here’s how my program would work:

• Choose a location — I’ll provide a list of areas where the city has cut down trees. You can select a spot to plant a new one.
• Apply for permission — Apply to the city. You’ll receive a plaque with your name and planting date if approved.
• Plant a Tree — Pick a tree seedling from a local garden center. Attach the plaque to your tree and watch it grow!
• Celebrate — Trees can be grown for special occasions like birthdays or graduations, inspiring others to join in!

I would also set up a way for people to donate trees. During the summer, my dad sometimes pulls out tree seedlings that are extras from our garden, and I believe others do the same. I encourage everyone to pot and donate them to local tree nurseries or garden centers. I think this program will make it fun for people to keep Shoreview green!

Elina Larsen
5th Grade
BYRON

Hi! My name is Elina Larsen. Have you ever wanted to be the mayor, even just for a day? Well, I am going to tell you three things I would do if I was mayor.

First, I would build a police station so police will not have to come from Rochester. Instead, we should build one in Byron so police can arrive faster. Another reason for a police station is I feel like if I had a building for my job, I would feel appreciated. I think it would be nice to build them a police station, so they feel more appreciated.

Second, I think we should open some retirement places. It would be easier to see your Nana and Papa. I feel like it would be nice to have them not worry about finding a good retirement place. Also, more elderly would come live in our community.

Lastly, I would make better access for people who have disabilities. I feel like they would feel more appreciated. I believe that everyone will feel more welcome, and it would be easier for everyone.

That is everything I think Byron needs to be a great place for people to live in. Those are the things I’d do if I were mayor for a day.

Claire Westlund
6th Grade
ST. LOUIS PARK

My name is Claire Westlund and I live in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. If I were mayor for a day, I would want to meet all the people that I would be working with and establish what jobs they have so I know who to ask for what, as well as to just meet and interact with my fellow peers.

I would first want to scope out empty areas and spaces that are just being wasted. Like a big empty lot or something like that. These spaces always make me think of something that I think would look better there. Such as a playground, or walking nature strip, or dog park. Even a shop or outdoor eating area is so much more fun than a big, empty, concrete lot.

I bet that there are lots of people who have business ideas, but don’t have a space to show and share cool, creative ideas. Or they could also be turned into something completely new and unique.

I would also want to at least start depolluting lakes in Minnesota. Out of the over 10,000 lakes, many of them are polluted. I live right by Lamplighter Pond, and it’s pretty much a giant sewer dump. I would want to put in an effort to try and clean some out if I were mayor for a day.

I hope you enjoyed my reasoning and ideas for “The Mayor for a Day Essay Contest.”

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Louis Adams
5th grade
LAUDERDALE

Excerpt from Louis’ essay: “As mayor, I would make an event called Pie Fest. The town’s bakers can sign up to compete for the title …”

Grace Carlson
5th Grade
DILWORTH

Excerpt from Grace’s essay: “… I would start clubs to help our environment, such as clubs to plant gardens and clean the city.”

Janette Cerda Juarez
4th Grade
WINDOM

Excerpt from Janette’s essay: “I would make our safety better by having an emergency button in all houses …”

Charlotte Haussner
5th Grade
GRAND MARAIS

Excerpt from Charlotte’s essay: “… pick-up recycling program improvement would help the people of Grand Marais and the whole area participate more in recycling …”