Rexburg should give students a chance
HOUSE EDITORIAL: approved by the majority of Scroll Editorial Board
- posted: 06 Nov. 2007
- scrollopinion@byui.edu
Election time is upon the city of Rexburg, and, if history repeats itself, no many people will show up.
Rexburg had a tough go at elections the last time around, with only about 2,300 people voting for the members of the City Council and various referenda. Rexburg claims a population of roughly 26,000 — a figure that represents students, as well.
Therefore, an estimated 8 percent of the community voted.
In 2004, the Deseret News reported that Rexburg’s population was expected to double in the next 20 years. It has already been growing at a 52 percent rate since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
All this, and Rexburg’s population has a median age of 20.3.
That the growth of the city correlates with the growth of BYU-Idaho is not an earth-shattering thought. It has been forecast and felt by city officials for a while now.
But one conundrum continues to persist: why the unbalanced degree of student representation in the city deliberations? Does the other half of the population see students as helpful friends in the community?
The two mayoral candidates, incumbent Shawn Larsen and challenger Donna Benfield, have acknowledged that they don’t really do much in terms of campaigning toward students.
They err in their strategies and seem to represent a general apathy toward a potential gold mine that is the student electorate and maybe local politics in general. After all, only 2,300 people voted during the last elections.
Rexburg citizens should consider members near the aforementioned median age for City Council. They shouldn’t vote for a student just because one is running, but rather because a student, with the right principles and ideas, has insight into nearly 13,000 potential movers and shakers.
This perspective is unique for the rest of the council members who deal with students impersonally or from the side. They don’t know firsthand what students are going through and how they feel about the community. Maybe the council members don’t care.
But someone should care. Students have been and will be instrumental to the future success of Rexburg. Locals and students alike should open their eyes to the idea of voting for a student who has created roots in Rexburg for City Council.
If locals and students caught this vision and the city took seriously nearly half of its population, a needed balance could finally grace City Hall and the rest of town. 
