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I n s i d e Arden Hills, MN . 55112-5734 Postal Customer From the City Council On November 7, we have school board races and bond referendum decisions to make. For the first time in eight years, I’ll be returning to my home Arden Hills Precinct 3 to work as head judge. I hope all of you will take a few minutes to fa- miliarize yourself with the candidates and the referendum being put before us. If you decide to vote in person at your precinct, stop by to say “Hi” to the election judges. You’ll get an I Voted sticker and a personal thanks from those of us helping to make your voting experience a satisfying one. Steve Scott City Councilmember I reached the traditional voting age of 21 late in 1972, a year after the 26th Amendment to the Constitution, granting the right to vote to 18 year olds, was passed by Congress, ratified by the required number of states, and signed into law by President Nixon. The Amendment effectively added another 11 million po- tential voters to the electorate. Of course, I felt a bit slighted, having to wait until age 21 while these young kids got to jump right into the fray at 18. It made sense since we were drafting 18 and 19 year olds to go fight overseas, but they had no vote. We didn’t have such things as the Internet, and that made gathering information on lo- cal races and issues a bit harder. I have to admit, I knew little about all those judicial, school board, school levies or municipal positions. I also did not know you could leave those races blank, so I made some pretty poor arbitrary choices in many of those early elections. Jump forward another 28 years, and the problems with the 2000 Presidential elec- tions piqued my interest. I became an elec- tion judge in 2004, serving in that capacity every election since. I even decided to become a candidate myself last year. I’ve always been a bit ashamed that the country I consider as the world’s greatest democ- racy struggles to achieve a voter turnout of 60 percent or less. Minnesota, of course, nearly always leads the pack with turn- out rates in the mid-70s but, to me, that number is still unacceptable. Arden Hills turned out at the rate of 84 percent for the 2016 elections! Democracy is NOT a spectator sport! It requires an engaged citizenry who researches the issues, researches the candidates, and candidates that make informed choices. I’ve lived overseas where people have died for just trying to vote or run as a candidate. My father served in the military for 23 years with combat in Europe during WWII and through the Korean and Vietnam con- flicts. Voting is something I’ve always taken very seriously. City accepts finance reporting award Poison hemlock Online services Fall activities for families Family-friendly classes and events: Check out the City website for new fall classes and events. Need a night out? Try the new Parents Night Out & Kids Night In. Young Participants will spend a few hours creating fun crafts, playing games, enjoying a healthy snack, and watching a movie while parents have time for a night out. Dates are: Fridays, September 22; October 20; and November 10. Ages 5-12, $15 per person. Halloween Boo Bash: What could be more fun and a little spooky than winning prizes at a carnival, playing ghost bingo, creating Halloween crafts, carving and decorating pumpkins, and a pizza dinner? Join us at Arden Hills City Hall for a wonderful evening of family fun! Ages 2-10, $10 per person (child or adult). Children must be accompanied by a paid adult. Pre-registration is required. Call Sara Knoll at 651-792-7845 if you have questions. Fall events for the family ECR-WSS PRST STD U.S. Postage Paid Twin Cities, MN Permit #1962