Sep 28, 2017 By Jacob Calvin Meyer 4 min read

Local government isn’t exactly what most high school seniors would call fun.

It’s not as contentious as a presidential debate or as influential as passing a landmark piece of legislation.

But, Mt. Lebanon seniors Thomas Cosentino and Katherine Izzo realize its importance in society, and that’s why they applied to become the 2017-18 school year’s junior commissioners for the Mt. Lebanon Board of Commissioners.

“My interest in (local government) is it’s more easily accessible to people,” Cosentino said. “It’s the most local, but it’s the closest way to really reach out to people and the most direct way for people to give feedback to the government. I really am interested in personal interactions with people, and I think that’s a big part (my interest).”

“I’m curious to actually be involved, and it’s such a cool opportunity for someone so young to be able to witness it,” Izzo said. “(I’m interested in) knowing more about the town that I live in and grew up in. It’s interesting to be able to inform them on what’s happening at the high school and listen to the meeting every month.”

Izzo will serve as the junior commissioner during the fall semester, and Cosentino will serve in the role during the spring semester.

Junior commissioners act as the middleman between the high school and the commission. They attend the bimonthly township meetings, give brief reports to the commission on high school activities or concerns and report back to the high school student council about municipal government proceedings.

“I’m interested to see the issues the residents have. I want to know more about what other people have to say about Mt. Lebanon and any issues they have about what’s going on,” Izzo said. “It’s cool to be more aware, and I also think it’s important they know what’s happening at the high school.”

Mt. Lebanon Public Information Officer Susan Morgans said the commission also launched a new internship program this year. Designed by Assistant Manager Ian McMeans, three Mt. Lebanon students, Thomas Heagy, Cassidy Higgins and Bryce McKain, will intern with the commission “to help them explore the workings of local government.”

“The application process is fairly rigorous, and there were 10 outstanding candidates this year, the most we’ve ever had,” said Morgans, who works with the junior commissioners. “The commission had a very difficult choice to make, and as a result of the high interest expressed by so many student they interviewed, they have decided to launch a second program.”

Being junior commissioners isn’t the only thing that Cosentino and Izzo have in common.

They both play sports at Mt. Lebanon High School, take part in other time-consuming extracurricular activities, are interested in history and politics, and live on the same street – Woodhaven Drive – in Mt. Lebanon.

Cosentino runs cross country and competes in the two-mile for the track and field team, and Izzo plays tennis. Izzo plays the clarinet in Mt. Lebanon’s band, and Cosentino is a member of Mt. Lebanon’s Model U.N.

They both took AP U.S. history last year, which invigorated their interest in history and politics, as did the 2016 presidential election.

“I get to experience all these different things in local government that not many kids our age get to. I’m def really thankful for the commissioners for setting up this opportunity, and I plan on getting as much as I can out of it and exploring as many different things as I can,” Cosentino said. “It’s really a unique opportunity.”