What if Texas appointed students to city councils? What qualifications should a student have in order to be appointed to a city council? If a city has a youth commission, should the city council select only from a list of candidates approved by the commission when appointing a student to the council? If the youth commission and the student appointed to serve of the city council disagree on a proposed ordinance, which perspective should the city council weigh more heavily?
If Texas appointed students to city council, there should be things taken into consideration, the biggest concern would be that this recommended choice may simply be the student who was able to win the popularity contest. The city council should consider the recommended candidate but should also ensure that the new appointee has the appropriate oral and written communication skills, as well as the minimum necessary education that would provide a fundamental understanding of city government and how a city operates. A student would need to be responsible, intelligent, logical, willing to make decisions that are good for the entire city's residents, and he/she must be able to withstand long meetings. The Youth Commission should have some effect on who is appointed to the Council to represent the youth, it would also make sense to limit the student to a term of office, after which the youth commission could select another one or renew their term. It might also be wise to allow the Youth Commission to recall a student appointed to the Council by something like a 2/3 vote. Some other qualifications would be of course at least 18 years or older, limited to one term, and should be a resident of Texas prior one year before the election. City Council members will interview and discuss the three finalist Presiding City Judge candidates, as recommended by the Judicial Appointments Advisory Board. City Council