By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

RESERVE – Most of the audience for the last forum for candidates in the upcoming St. John the Baptist Parish president election may not have been old enough to vote, but that fact did not alter the atmosphere of the debate.

Representatives from the parish’s four high schools — East St. John, West St. John, Riverside Academy and St. Charles Catholic — gathered in the library at East St. John Monday for the school district’s first youth forum.

All five candidates were in attendance, and Fox 8 reporter Val Bracy moderated the event. Each school had the opportunity to ask one question, and candidates had two minutes each to respond.

Unlike some debates where pretension rules, the questions asked by the students dealt with real issues that were not only appropriate to their age group but relatable by most. Topics ran the gamut from recreation and roads to tap water and trains.

And just as important as the actual questions themselves were the methods by which the various schools arrived at their final questions.

Megan Malik of Riverside Academy said that while she just volunteered to be the designated question asker, her class decided on a topic together. She said there were a few topics offered, and the class chose which one to run with democratically. Malik said she was pleased with the way the candidates answered the question regarding a rail link between New Orleans and Baton Rouge — an issue recently killed for the time being by Gov. Bobby Jindal — and their answers even managed to sway her opinion on the matter somewhat.

“I was neutral. Now I’m leaning toward getting it done,” said Malik. Malik added although she is just 17 and will not be allowed to vote on March 27, the event has further sparked her interest in politics, and she will be registering to vote when her next birthday comes.

Megan Jackson, a sophomore at West St. John High School, likewise felt a spark of political interest through her participation in the event. At her school, students submitted questions to a teacher who chose the final topic. Jackson’s question dealt with the parish’s dearth of recreational facilities, especially on the west bank. “(Lack of) recreational activities is a problem in Edgard,” she said.

The candidates all seemed to agree with Jackson’s assessment, and most said securing more funding for such projects was key to solving this problem. Jackson said she was impressed with the candidates’ answers.

East St. John senior Christy Joseph said, “Ms. Hymel just sort of threw me in it.” But that did not stop the 18-year-old from taking an interest in the proceedings. Her topic, which was chosen from a pool of student-generated topics, dealt with the parish’s ongoing tap water problems.

As one of the students in attendance actually of voting age, Joseph has been following the election a little more closely than some of her classmates. Although she already has a good idea of who she will be casting her ballot for at the end of the month, she said she was most impressed by the performances of Natalie Robottom and Buddy Boe. She said she thought they answered her question most clearly and fully.

She added she thought the youth forum was a good idea.

“I think it’s important because we as youth know what’s going on,” she said. “I loved it.”

While she will definitely be heading to the polls on March 27, she said some of her peers may need some coaxing, and events such as this will certainly do no harm in this regard.

Paul Cupit, a senior at St. Charles Catholic High School, said he was chosen to represent the LaPlace school because he came up the question chosen by his peers and teachers. His question dealt with road quality in St. John Parish. He said of the candidates’ responses, “I think they did a good job overall.”

Although the 18-year-old did not register in time for this election, taking part in the forum has given him a new perspective on civic responsibility.

“It convinced me to go out and vote,” he said.

St. John School Board member Russ Wise, who came up with the idea for the forum, said he was pleased with the proceedings.

“I think it went very well,” he said. “I wish more kids could have participated.”

Wise said he came up with the idea because the political process is rarely aimed at youth, and they will be the ones voting in the near future.

“I wanted our older teenagers to get used to the idea of getting involved in the political process,” he said.

Wise, furthermore, was pleased with the level of involvement on the part of the students and the discussions the event provoked.

“I was absolutely delighted to see … our high school students are concerned about the same issues their parents are concerned about,” he said, adding, “They are young adults, and this has proven it.”

Wise said more forums are planned for the future, including the fall congressional and senatorial races.

“Kids are just as concerned about what happens in Washington, D.C., as they are about what happens in St. John Parish,” Wise noted.