Marengo High School group lobbies for smoking ban at Settlers' Days

MARENGO – A group of Marengo High School seniors accomplished something in its last semester that often takes seasoned legislators much longer, if they cross the finish line at all: It passed a law.

It started in January. The 12 students had finished a mandatory senior civics class, informally known as legislative semester, the previous term, which was all about the legislative process. Their teacher, RJ Meyer, had learned about a grant offered through the McHenry County Health Department.

"The purpose of it is to enable students to gain
real-world educational experiences. To teach them about local government and also push for a cause. This particular theme is anti-tobacco," Meyer said.

The grant allowed them to form an extracurricular group. The group, called Marengo Reality, met on Sundays and discussed various issues to pursue before deciding to push for a smoking ban at Settlers’ Days before the Marengo City Council.

They made sure they had all of their ducks in a row before approaching the council. They compiled medical information about the dangers of secondhand smoke and conducted a survey to gauge community support for a Settlers’ Days smoking ban. The results showed 86 percent of survey respondents favored limiting smoking in public places at Settlers’ Days.

“My role was just as facilitator. To help reinforce the concepts of government and such,” Meyer said. “The research and the speeches and the presentation and the resolution, that all came from them.”

The students also sought expert help on navigating the legislative process. They enlisted the help of Marengo Police Sgt. Paul Fritz, who just presented a resolution on e-cigarettes to the City Council, for advice on crafting a bill. City Attorney Carlos Arevalo also helped draft the exact wording of their proposal. Through it all, Assistant City Administrator Joshua Blakemore offered advice on gaining the support of the council.

“This was a very engaged group of students,” Blakemore said. “It was just fun to work with them. It was cool to see a group of kids take interest in their local government and help improve their community.”

When they finally met with the council, aldermen were receptive, but not without reservations. Alderman Dennis Hammortree asked the group to get approval from the organization that runs Settlers’ Days. There also were concerns about enforceability.

“The first time through, they liked the idea, but they wanted to know more about how we were going to enforce it, because Saturday night on Main Street is a huge area to cover for officers,” said Monica Millard, one of the students in Marengo Reality

The students regrouped. They contacted Settlers’ Days Inc. to see whether it would sign off on the plan. When it did, the students reached out to the Marengo Police Department.

Before the next meeting, they also developed a contingency plan if the aldermen still wouldn’t go along with their resolution.

“There were issues with regulating, so we just compromised to where only the carnival area would be regulated,” said Emily Millard, another student involved.

Armed with a new community consensus, the students returned to the next City Council meeting May 26, where their resolution was put up for a vote.

Before voting, one member, Eric Brosch, took questions and defended the proposal in front of the alderman.

“He knew that compromise was an option, but he didn’t give in right away. He almost made them work for it a little bit,” Meyer said.

In the end, the council approved a resolution that banned smoking within the carnival area at Settlers’ Days, while allowing patrons to smoke on the rest of grounds. It’s an outcome that satisfies all parties, and largely realizes the group’s vision of protecting children from secondhand smoke.

In addition to success, the students also gained insight and real-world experience participating in local government operations.

“People complain about the government all the time, but they don’t do anything. I finally did something so I can say, ‘This is a bad policy, and this is a good one.’ I feel like an active citizen,” said Aaron Schmitt, a Marengo Reality member.

Their teacher couldn’t be more proud.

“I was blessed with having the best group that I possibly could have had,” Meyer said. “I can’t say more about this group. They are a phenomenal group of young adults.”

Meyer is not alone in that opinion.

“They were great debaters,” Marengo Mayor Don Lockhart said. “They are great young men and women, and they show a lot of potential, and Marengo should be proud.”