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Emma Stanek, 12, takes second in statewide contest Emma Stanek Saturday Sep 10, 2016 at 12:01 AM Buffy Pollock for the Mail Tribune EAGLE POINT — Seventh-grader Emma Stanek impressed the Oregon Mayor's Association with the notion that she could one day govern a small town with kindness, creativity and fiscal responsibility. The 12-year-old won second place in the association's annual essay contest, "If I Were Mayor, I Would," out of 43 participants from 25 cities. Emma wrote her essay last spring and was presented with an Amazon Fire HD8 tablet by Eagle Point Mayor Bob Russell. She cites her family's civic involvement, including father Michael Stanek's run for City Council, as giving her insight. "My dad is trying out for City Hall in the election and he's already on the parks and budget committees, so our family is really involved," she said. "I wanted to write the essay because I think it's really important to have city government because, if we didn't have them here, then no one would keep the city going or do good things for the people." Born in eastern Germany and raised between her mother's homeland (during summer vacation) and the Rogue Valley, Emma details the importance of a leader making responsible choices. If she were ever in charge, she said, she would spend money wisely, ensure her citizens had "things to be happy about" and lead "with a strong voice and creative ideas." Emma's mom, Anja Rink, said her daughter developed a love for community at a young age, helping with cleanup after the Butte Creek Mill fire and participating in student leadership at school. Russell said Emma's essay was "head and shoulders above any of the other stuff that people submitted and she was one of the youngest contributors." "I thought her essay was just terrific and from the heart," Russell said. "When you've had a day where everything doesn't go fabulously and you read about bad things in the world, when you run into somebody like that, it just reminds you that there's still a lot of hope." Reach freelance writer Buffy Pollock at [email protected].