Princesses make council more regal

The Lorain City Council chamber was a bit more crowded than usual June 19 as the council welcomed the 2017 International Princesses to help with the proceedings.

Each of the 19 princesses was paired with a council member or a member of the administration and the young ladies made most of the proposals, recognitions and announcements throughout the meeting.

Lindsey Williams, 17, of Lorain, is an African American princess in this year’s pageant and festival. She was seated next to Council President Joel Arredondo and served as president at the meeting.

She said she was surprised by how lively the meeting was.

“I thought it was going to be boring and I was going to sit there,” she said after the meeting. “There was a lot more talking than I expected.”

She said she enjoyed a presentation at the meeting by Jason Sudy, founder of Side Street Planning, on how the city’s comprehensive plan is coming together.

“It was a surprise,” she explained. “It’s something nice to see there are positives for Lorain in the future.”

As for the responsibilities as president of council, Lindsey explained she wasn’t expecting to be so involved.

“They told me I was going to be in the front when I walked in,” she said. “I like his responsibilities, maybe not for my life because that’s not my career choice, but it was really cool to see.”

Councilwoman Mary Springowski served as an Irish Princess in the 1984 festival. She said after the meeting that the pageant gives its participants a unique opportunity to teach and to learn.

“It encourages those that weren’t necessarily first generation to research their culture a little bit and letting other people know what your traditions are,” she explained.