An opportunity for the generations
In the Thursday, Feb. 8, edition of the Butler Eagle, staff writer Zach Petroff told us about Benjamin Uber, who joined the Slippery Rock borough council as the first junior member.
Uber, 18, was sworn in by Mayor Jondavid Longo during the Feb. 6 council meeting.
“I’m just honored that you would consider me for this position,” Uber said after taking his oath. “I will do my best to represent young people of Slippery Rock.”
The junior council member will not have a vote, but will “have input” during council sessions, said borough manager Christian Laskey.
Council member Alexandra Tuten said she was excited to have Uber sit on the council.
“When I ran for office, I said I wanted to be a voice for the children,” Tuten said. “So this is a very proud day for me. It’s taken a while, but I’m so thrilled to have our junior councilman.”
Uber’s political journey began in January, when he responded to a flyer from the borough seeking a high school student to join the council. Uber is a home-schooled junior.
“I saw a lack of youth engaging in the community,” Uber said. “And I wanted to see more of that, so what better way to do that than to get involved myself.”
“A voice for the children.” “A lack of youth engaging.” This sounds like an opportunity for everyone.
It's said that with age comes wisdom, but wisdom doesn’t appear out of thin air. The youth of any generation learn from the one before, and they take that knowledge and improve it.
It is our sincere hope that Uber will learn from council members and impart that knowledge to the young people of Slippery Rock, while also providing the council an understanding of the needs and hopes of the people he represents to council.
We applaud Slippery Rock for seeking out a voice for the youths of the borough, and encourage other municipalities to seek the same.
— RJ
