It was nice to hear that the Ames City Council, by way of a written survey taken last week, found out the city’s strained relationship with ISU students was its “number one issue.” No doubt this will spur the council to re-emphasize how much they value students and their opinions when making decisions.

But talk is cheap — no doubt the city was saying the same thing a few years ago when it was begging students to mark Ames as their home on 2000 census reports so the city could enjoy the perks of “metropolis” status. Then, in this year alone, the city council passed no less than three ordinances that impacted the everyday lives of students, with seemingly little concern about the negative outcry that arose.

The council’s indifference and/or ignorance should not be a surprise.

Students generally have had little interest in attending the Tuesday night meetings, especially without a representative from their generation and occupation to whom they can relate.

But this gulf of apathy and misunderstanding between students and the council can become less gaping come the election on Nov. 4, now that four ISU students are running for two council seats.

Casey Harvey, senior in finance; Nathan Johnston, junior in finance; and Gregory Velasquez, junior in elementary education, will compete for the vacant at-large seat. Matt Denner, senior in political science, is running for the 4th Ward seat.

An election of any one of these candidates could effect long due change to city affairs. According to Mayor Ted Tedesco, there has never been a student on the city council.

For a group that makes up half of the city population and contributes so heavily to the economy and culture of Ames, the student body is astonishingly powerless in city affairs. The addition of a nonvoting representative was a move in the right direction, but an actual vote is real assurance that student voices will be listened to and acted on.

And although the council covers a variety of issues that go beyond council and liquor buffet bans, a student vote is necessary in many issues that do not directly impact just students. For example, the approval of a local-option sales tax and the smoking ban last year are two community-wide proposals that are very relevant to students. If student input is being ignored on matters that concern only students, then how much has it been ignored on these broader issues?

We shouldn’t expect a student representative to create a revolution within the council. But one or two seats on the council will go a long way in making students feel they have a legitimate role in local government.

Editorial Board:Nicole Paseka, Megan Hinds, Amy Schierbrock, Alicia Ebaugh, Dan Nguyen