“What on earth possessed you to run?”
“What was campaigning like?”
“What have been the biggest challenges?”
“What “AhHa” moments have you experienced?”
These are just some of the questions I have encountered on a weekly basis since being elected to Ivins City Council. As a few positions are becoming open for election starting in the summer, I thought I would share a few thoughts and answers.
So, let’s address the big question first…” Are you glad you did it?”
The answer is absolutely -YES! My hope is that in sharing some answers to the above questions, more residents will consider these opportunities to serve Ivins.
“What on earth possessed you to run?”
When we moved to Ivins 6 years ago, I was still working full-time and traveling each week. I knew when I retired, I wanted to volunteer in the community and become more involved. Enter Mike Scott who I met when he was running, and helped guide me to areas where I could contribute. One of my primary philosophies in life has always been, “Be Curious,” so I began attending City Council and Planning Commission meetings to understand how things work. I met amazing people who work for the city, as well as other residents, and became involved in local issues. When the time came to retire from 40 years in the corporate world, I knew I had to do something as I wasn’t the type to lay around and eat bon bons. I was ready to contribute and felt I could add to the value of our city by running for office. The most critical factor in deciding to run – I love Ivins!
What was campaigning like?
I had no idea what to do or what to expect. Fortunately, I had some great people to guide me. First, I had to understand what issues were important to me and, more importantly, what matters most to the residents! The Ivins Resident Survey was my guide, and this helped me identify my motto, which I truly believed is “Your City and Your Council.”
The next step was creating campaign materials. You can really do a little or a lot in this area. I did a lot. I had a good friend design a brochure at no charge. I have a wonderful husband who is a photographer and did my pictures, and I spent a little money to create a website where people could learn more about me and read some articles I had written.
Then, we had to order campaign signs, flyers, and buttons. We are ready to launch! During this time, Sharon Barton also decided to run for City Council, so we teamed up to combine efforts. While our backgrounds, approaches and perspectives may differ, we both love Ivins, so off we went!
After filing for elections, we began putting up signs! This was an adventure that my wonderful husband took on with me. Determining the location and understanding the winds in Ivins was critical. We had a “date” once a week to drive around and check signs.
Next came the planning to meet and know as many residents as possible. The " Meet and Greet " is the tried-and-true process for this. Sharon Barton and I decided to team up at these events. We called upon several residents to invite their neighbors/friends/families to come and share some cookies and lemonade and ask anything they wanted. We had over 15 events in August, and even with eating all those cookies, I lost a few pounds from carrying all the supplies in and out of the heat. (Sometimes, we offered fruit!) We also worked to schedule three forums so that all residents could attend and hear from all the candidates.
All the time, we respond to emails and phone calls and walk through neighborhoods, getting to know as much as we can about each and their concerns.
So you got elected…now what?
There was a steep learning curve, but amazing people work for this city and have been tremendously helpful. I start with the agenda and figure out what I need to read, ask, and learn specifically for the upcoming council meeting. I dig deep into issues that matter to me, such as affordable housing and the animal control shelter. I schedule meetings with city staff and residents to better understand issues and concerns and how we can resolve them. I read A LOT! What makes this city “tick” and what things cost is fascinating and has been my biggest “Ah-Ha.”
There are so many areas that, as a resident, I took for granted and knew nothing about. A perfect example is Storm Drains. Now, after reading about 15 hours on Storm drains, I am by no means the expert, but I now have knowledge and appreciation for the city's needs related to this and the cost of creating and maintaining this critical part of our city infrastructure.
What have been the biggest challenges?
This will be different for anyone who decides to run and is elected. For me, the only real challenge is the law that three or more council people can’t be together at one time, or it constitutes a quorum and is legally a meeting. (I am paraphrasing a big, long law). Coming from a previous world where constant communication and collaboration were the name of the game, I find working in silos challenging. This is eased for me in working with the excellent city department and people we have so I can still feel part of a team.
What about the “haters?”
I am not a Swifty fan, but the song's words read true…” Haters gonna hate, hate, hate.” There were some negative comments and posts, but I was in leadership positions for years and learned an important lesson – not everyone is going to like me or agree with me. My philosophy was and continues to be - just do you!
Knowing what you do now, would you still have run for election?
Absolutely. I have had so much fun getting to know more of our residents, helping solve problems where I can, contributing to helping keep Ivins special, working with Mike Scott to complete the General Plan, heading up the Affordable Housing Task Force, working with Tiffany Wynn and Ivins Inspired to increase our community participation, working with Sharon Barton to get our Animal Shelter updated, working with the Wreaths Across America team to remember our Veterans and more has been incredibly fulfilling and rewarding.
So, I will close with this…if you are thinking of running, let me know. We have teams in place to help with the campaigning and onboarding processes.
Why should you run? YOU LOVE IVINS!
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