The Government of Student Body will consider measures to have it and the Ames City Council represented at meetings of both groups.

On Wednesday, GSB senators will consider a resolution that would encourage City Council members to take steps aiding in communication between the two groups. The resolution aims to build better relations between the two governing bodies by appointing non-voting, ex-officio representatives to attend the other group’s meetings.

“Basically, we just want to open up a dialogue, so it’s not us against them all the time,” said Cara Harris, GSB senator and co-author of the resolution. “I think that, as students, we don’t know a lot about the city government. And I don’t think they’ve had a chance to hear from us. Presenting a unified voice to the council would be very beneficial.”

Ideally, GSB officials said, the arrangement would allow an ISU student to provide the City Council with a student’s perspective on issues while a Council member would provide GSB members with a clearer idea of the workings of the city’s governing body. A similar program, although lacking a council representative for GSB, was run last year.

“We were approached by Mayor Ted Tedesco with the idea of sending a nonvoting student to the City Council and a nonvoting City Council member to the GSB,” said William Rock, GSB vice speaker of the Senate. “Everyone on both sides realized there really wasn’t enough student input, and the issues the city council deals with obviously effect students.”

For the last year GSB has sent an ex-officio member, Nathan Johnston, to City Council meetings, while the Council did not have any representation at GSB meetings. Johnston is expected to formally resign Wednesday.

The initiative is largely championed by recently elected Councilman Matthew Goodman, who campaigned last fall under the promise of promoting better relationships between GSB and the city. GSB officials said that while nothing has been decided yet, Goodman has shown interest in filling the position himself.

“It’ll probably be him,” Harris said. “He’s expressed the most interest in it. He won on the student vote, and he has the ability to speak for and to students.”

She said she wasn’t worried about Goodman’s relative inexperience with city government and felt that, on the contrary, his lack of preconceived notions and concrete stances would likely prove beneficial. Harris said Goodman’s natural abilities to learn and adapt would likely negate any inexperience.

“That’s not necessarily going to be an issue at all,” she said. “He’s a very bright person, and he learns very quickly.”