Three qualified residents are vying for a chance to serve on the Dixon City Council. The candidate voters should choose is incumbent Victoria "Tori" Coppes.

Yes, she's young -- at 19, she could become one of the youngest elected public officials in California. Yet she's an intelligent, quick study who has been involved in her community and who brings energy and a unique perspective to a government body that could use a little of each.

Ms. Coppes, a Dixon High School graduate who was serving on the city's General Plan committee, was appointed to the council last October on an interim basis to fill the term left vacant when Vice Mayor Michael Gomez moved out of the city. The agreement was that she would serve until a special election could be held, at which time she could either run for office or step aside.

From the get-go, Ms. Coppes expressed an interested in finishing Mr. Gomez's term, which expires in November 2010. She jumped into her job with enthusiasm, and has spent the time necessary to bring herself up to speed on the issues the council is facing. That's on top of going to college full time -- she's headed toward a business major -- and working part-time at a Dixon firm.

At the time of her council appointment, some wondered if she would simply mimic her elders on the dais or rely too heavily on advice from a few people. Happily, she has proven to have a mind of her own, sometimes going along with the majority, at other times taking a stand even when

she's on the losing side.

Ms. Coppes claims to represent the voice of Dixon youth, and she does so admirably. When asked at a recent candidate's forum what Dixon youth want, she suggested two things: More entertainment (a lament that those who interact with young people everywhere are familiar with) and jobs. It's almost impossible for a high schooler or recent graduate to find work in the small town, she pointed out.

On that count, her platform isn't much different than that expressed by those with more years behind them.

It's easy to believe that Dixon doesn't have any "youth issues," and yet two recent council matters would serve to dispel that myth. The council was asked a few weeks ago to consider raising the youth fare for those who take Dixon's Readi-Ride transit service. It voted unanimously to drop that idea, with Ms. Coppes among those speaking out against it.

The council is currently looking into complaints about the use of a gate between Dixon High School and Hall Park. Appropriately, Ms. Coppes has been appointed to work with the school district to resolve the matter.

Even if young people aren't old enough to vote, they do live in Dixon and they are affected by the policies the city adopts. Having someone on the council close to their own age could prove helpful to them and the entire city.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Ms. Coppes' council service to date, however, is that she has managed to do, on her own, what apparently has confounded an entire city staff. She has put video recordings of council meetings online.

Those who visit her Web site, http://www.toricoppes.com, can find links to those videos, which have been broken into small clips to fit the YouTube format they are being displayed on. There are also clips from a recent candidate's forum, for voters who wish to compare their choices this election.

That kind of initiative is commendable. It shows both leadership and a predisposition toward open government, an important quality for any elected official.

The Solano County elections department last week began sending out ballots for this mail-in only election, which officially ends April 7. Rather than letting them collect dust on a kitchen counter and take a chance on misplacing them, Dixon voters should mark their choice and return them immediately. That choice should be Victoria Coppes.