WATERLOO - It was decision time Tuesday in Laurie Lichty's second-grade class.

Her Orange Elementary School students had to vote for one of three mayoral candidates. Their prime consideration was the candidates' plan for an empty building in the community: turn it into an animal shelter, a toy store or a skate park. It was all part of a weekly curriculum called "Our Community" provided by Junior Achievement and taught by volunteer Bobbi McGuire.

But first students heard more about the job of mayor from Tim Hurley, the city's top officeholder.

"As the mayor of Waterloo, I am not the biggest boss," said Hurley. While city employees look to him as their leader, Hurley told the children he is answerable to Waterloo's citizens.

The mayor and city council make decisions about the use of tax dollars with the "best interest of the people" in mind, he said. "We go to work trying to do the best thing for all the people."

Hurley added, "We do a lot of meeting, we do a lot of planning. Most of the time we're civil, most of the time we're nice to each other."

Student Emma Oaks enjoyed the mayor's visit.

"It was really cool to see him," she said. Hurley's role as boss at City Hall is what impressed her most. "It would be fun to be the mayor, because you get to fire people and you get to hire them if they're good or bad."

Hurley answered nearly a dozen questions from students, including one about pets. He has three dogs.

That would probably have been an important factor if the students were to consider Hurley alongside the choices in their subsequent voting activity. Groups of student brainstormed the positives and negatives of the candidates' ideas for the empty building. Then each received a slip of paper on which to record a vote.

Twelve of the 18 students chose the candidate who proposed an animal shelter in the building.

Contact Andrew Wind at (319) 291-1507 or andrew.wind@wcfcourier.com.