Boston city councilor wants to end initiative giving young people power over $1M of budget
BOSTON - Here's a million-dollar question: should middle and high schoolers have a say in how your tax dollars are spent?
What is Youth Lead the Change?
In 2014, Boston became the first city in the nation to launch the "Youth Lead the Change" initiative - giving young people ages 12 to 22 real power to decide how $1 million of the city's budget should be spent.
"A lot of the times, kids aren't included in really big decisions that can affect them," 12-year-old Maryam Herrera told WBZ-TV as she was filling out her youth ballot.
The initiative allows young people to vote on projects that would renovate homeless shelters, expand free Wi-Fi in public spaces, improve the streets of Boston's Chinatown among other ideas created by kids.
"I think a lot of adults underestimate a child's interest in this. This is really important and interesting, and I like doing this," said 14-year-old Suhaylah Herrera.
Ed Flynn wants initiative to end
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn wants to see the initiative come to an end. "No offense to the children of Boston... but I just think they should not be making these decisions," he said.
Councilor Flynn added that in tough economic times, every tax dollar counts.
"Giving children the ability to vote on various aspects of the budget doesn't show that we are serious about our finances - in my opinion," Flynn said from Boston City Hall.
It's a stance that the Herrera sisters believe is a bit unfair.
"The kids here are also citizens of Boston, so they should have a share in how they're going to use the money for," said Maryam.
The polls are open online and in-person if you can find a green youth ballot box. The two projects with the most votes will split the $1 million in funding.
And while young people have been creating these ballot initiatives for about a decade, Flynn believes they can practice civic engagement in other ways that don't involve real money. "It's not helpful, it's not practical," Flynn said.