At its Wednesday meeting, the Queen Creek Town Council officially appointed 13 teens to the new Mayor’s Teen Advisory Committee.
The inaugural committee members are: Amy Boghoussian, Shelby Bonewell, Gabrielle Chambers, Peter Corrado, Taylor Curtis, Christabel Emenim, Madilyn Fisk, Charlie Gonzales, Esther Henderson, Matteo Miller, Taumi Spencer, Tristan Streeter and Dilyn White.
“The teen advisory committee is something that’s been in the works since even before I considered running for mayor,” Mayor Julia Wheatley said during the council meeting. “Several council members and I discussed for years the importance of having a youth voice and finding a way to bring our youth to the table, so to finally see this group come to fruition after many years of discussion, months of preparation and so many interested students, it’s just incredibly exciting for all involved.”
The appointments were part of the council’s consent agenda, which is voted on in one motion. The item was removed from the consent agenda to publicly recognize the teens and to hold a separate vote on the appointments.
The council voted 5-0 to approve the appointments. Council Members Bryan McClure and Travis Padilla were absent from the meeting.
Committee members were on hand to receive their official appointments and to take a photo with the council.
On Aug. 7, the council approved an ordinance creating the committee. The teens were selected from a group of applicants aged 13-18 who submitted notice of interest forms. The interested teens then went through an interview process that included Wheatley.
“I truly wish I could have appointed everyone,” Wheatley said at the meeting. “Narrowing it down to just 13 students was an incredibly difficult task. We have some exceptional youth in the town of Queen Creek and just looking out at you gives me so much pride.”
The committee is scheduled to hold its first meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
The Mayor’s Teen Advisory Committee will focus on:
• Addressing concerns and challenges affecting teens in the community;
• Organizing and participating in volunteer projects and initiatives;
• Providing input on policies and programs that impact teens;
• Planning teen-oriented events, workshops and forums;
• Advocating for the needs and interests of teens to local government and community stakeholders;
• Promoting civic engagement and educating peers about local governance.
• Building connections with other teen organizations, officials and community leaders for collaboration and support.
The town’s fiscal year 2024-25 budget allocated $88,100 to staff and program the teen committee’s activities.
The term for committee members is one school year, with freshman and sophomores serving two school-year terms this year to provide continuity.
The need for such a committee took on an added urgency following the death of Combs High School student Preston Lord, who was attacked during a house party in Queen Creek on Oct. 28. He died of his injuries on Oct. 30. Seven young men and teens have been charged in Lord’s death.
As part of the committee’s creation, Wheatley hosted a teen summit in May to hear first-hand from teens about their concerns and needs.
At the Aug. 7 council meeting, the mayor discussed the need for safe spaces for teens to gather outside of schools, pointing out that the aquatic and recreation center currently being built at the newly opened Frontier Family Park will have a dedicated teen space when it opens in 2025.
This summer, the town also launched LINK, Friday night events at the Recreation Annex where teens can listen to music, play games and just hang out. LINK takes place every second and fourth Friday evening.
We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Janet Perez can be reached at jperez@iniusa.org.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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