Student seeks city council seat
- posted: 25 Sept. 2007
- scrollnews@byui.edu
Please see the Scroll correction and apology for mis-information in this article.
BYU-Idaho student Adam Stout, 24, will run for Rexburg City Council on Nov. 6, 2007, making him one of the youngest candidates ever to run.
Stout, a senior studying political science, is one of seven candidates for city council. A Rexburg native, he hopes to change current practices in the city’s budget and other areas.
“I’ve been watching Rexburg politics for years, and I think, ‘Where is the long-term planning?’” Stout said. If elected, Stout intends to re-evaluate spending priorities for the city, including maintenance for Second East, helping local businesses and decreasing the amount of surplus budget spent.
Stout plans to put in a traffic light at the intersection of Second East and Valley River Drive. He also plans to discuss budget options concerning the plans for a swimming pool behind Kmart.
Stout also indicated his intentions to better accommodate the businesses in Rexburg, in order to put money into the city.
“The community is growing to the point where we need to support small businesses,” Stout said. Odds may favor incumbents in this election due to Stout’s experience compared to that of current council members. However, Stout assures voters that he wants to make a difference.
“I care about Rexburg and I want to chip in,” Stout said of his candidacy. “I see it as a service, not a job. It’s more of a duty.”
Stout said some have expressed apprehensions regarding his candidacy as a student and running at a young age. “I would be a little concerned that he might not have the city’s interests at heart so much as the needs of the campus” said Rachel Walters, a senior studying accounting and a Rexburg citizen.
Others remain supportive of the idea.
“I think it’s a great idea,” said G. Farrell Young, a current Rexburg city council member. “The students need to be represented. Win or lose, he’ll find out what government is all about.”
Voters need only have lived in Rexburg 30 days prior to the election.
For more information, visit www.votestout.com. 
