Fifth-grader Grace Bridewell: Pierz Mayor for a Day

John Perleberg may be Pierz’s mayor, but fifth-grader Grace Bridewell of Pioneer Elementary School had some ideas for what she would do if in Perleberg’s position.

As part of the Pierz “Mayor for a Day” contest, fourth and fifth graders of Holy Trinity Catholic School and Pioneer Elementary School, both located in Pierz, had the opportunity to submit written essays on what they would do if they were made mayor of the city for one day. Out of what Perleberg estimated to be 50 to 60 essay writers, Bridewell was his top pick.

Bridewell was recognized for winning the contest at the Monday, March 25 Pierz City Council meeting. There, Perleberg spoke about why he selected her essay as the winner.

“Grace has a really good sense of community, which is really, really nice,” Perleberg said. “She had some great, really good ideas as well. And I think that actually all of us could learn from her application letter that she wrote. It’s really, really good.”

The Council then invited Bridewell to come up and read her essay out loud for everyone in attendance. In the essay, Bridewell writes that if she were mayor for a day, she would lower the prices of gas so families could have enough money to also buy groceries. She wrote she would also organize multiple events coinciding with different holidays, such as a snowman building contest for St. Nicholas Day, a community dinner for Thanksgiving and fireworks by the river for the Fourth of July.

Continuing in her essay, Bridewell wrote about improvements she would like to make for the library, stating she would like to expand the Pierz Public Library’s book selections and also limit the number of books anyone can check out at one time to 10, “so it’s easier to keep track of the books and you don’t have to flip the whole house over finding the book you’re looking for.” She also wrote she would add a day care component to the library, where parents could drop their kids off to play in a children’s area or have a librarian read books to them.

Bridewell wrote she would start a hunting and fishing contest where winners could receive “Pierz Bucks,” which recipients can spend at local businesses in Pierz. She would introduce an annual invention fair at her school, and bring Council members to school to teach them about their role in local government. Finally, at the end of her busy day, she said she would install a pool and hot tub for children and adults to play and relax in and for teenagers to work at as lifeguards, as well as making a mini-golf course at the Pierz Golf Course for children to golf at while their dads play the full course.

Although Bridewell was not actually granted the title of mayor for a day, she was presented with a certificate and $10 in Pierz Bucks for winning the contest.

“If you ever decide to run for mayor, you’ve got my vote,” Perleberg said to Bridewell.