A casual dialogue between Auburn High students and Mayor Timothy Lattimore led to a discussion of issues and an exchange of ideas.

AHS journalism classes met May 5 with Lattimore to question his current and future plans for Auburn, as well as to share their own visions.

Lattimore initiated the forum with some ironic background information. He himself became interested in the field of journalism when he realized he wanted to strengthen his writing skills. The mayor is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he pursued a bachelor's degree in journalism. "The pen is mightier than the sword," he noted.

Once students began asking questions, of course the one we had all been waiting to ask came up: "What do you plan to do to make Auburn better?"

Lattimore hesitated briefly before responding: "When I was a child and growing up, Auburn was alive. I'm going to do everything in my power to bring life back to this city."

He mentioned several different leisure activities that kept him busy as a child. "Between all of the different high schools there was always an activity taking place on the weekend - lake dances, sports events, ice skating, and so on," he said.

When students informed Lattimore that they were being deprived of these as young people growing up in the community, a different side of the mayor came to light. When told many events were not taking place because of liabilities, Lattimore said: "Let me just start by saying, liability is nutty. I feel bad for you guys. You all need to fight to get your privileges back. Yell, scream, kick, even protest.

Don't be afraid to pick up the phone for the mayor. You're the eyes and ears for me."

Bringing business to the area is also a focus for Lattimore. "You know what's different about me than almost every other mayor of Auburn?" he asked. "I will solicit businesses to come here rather than waiting for them to come to me."

Another of Lattimore's main thrusts is his promotion of different sources of electricity: "I'm really pushing to get rid of the methane and to get the turbine spinning," he said.

As the forum progressed, Lattimore turned the tables a bit and highlighted the good things about Auburn, beginning with his family.

Following in the footsteps of his father, former Auburn Mayor Paul W. Lattimore, he's pleased with the success that Auburn has allowed him to achieve. "One of my sons, Todd, is currently performing on Broadway.

Judd, my youngest son, was the only two-time All-American lacrosse player ever to graduate from Auburn High School.

"You see, the thing is, Auburn allowed my children to live their dreams, and should be doing the same for all of you."

Shelly Kiesznowski also contributed to this story.