The Elephant in the Room

Okay, let's talk about it because I've heard the negative whisper campaign out there...

Am I just going to be Scott's puppet? Since he has to term out of office at the end of December, is he planning to live vicariously through me and control me behind the scenes?

The quick answer is, heck no!

I know that whisper campaigns can be devastating. I've watched it happen numerous times. But there is something you need to understand and it takes some background to fully explain. So I hope you'll take a minute to read this and help squash those dumb little whispers.

If you truly know my husband, Scott, then you know he has worked hard to serve our city. He was elected in 2016 as an outsider to "the establishment" and was never part of the Good 'ol Boys Club. Even though he serves in a non-partisan manner and helped do a lot of really cool things in our region, he isn't part of the insider power club...and, frankly, he doesn't care because he is in office to serve residents and businesses and not the establishment.

He is now a popular representative because he is extremely responsive to constituents and tries to ignore the political noise. He serves on behalf of the community and businesses regardless of what some might think. Seriously, we can't walk into a store or restaurant without someone coming up to thank him for being so responsive or helping solve a particular problem they had. He has set the bar really high for whoever comes in after him. That high bar is one of the considerations I had to work through before making this decision.

When he and I sat down back in 2016 to discuss whether he should run for office and what he wanted to do if elected, I gave him my full support to do it "his way." He would not have run had I not fully supported him. We respect each other that way. We sold our restaurant before the election and he cut way back on his business consulting and focused on serving the community as best he possibly could for what turned out to be 8 years after he won his 2020 re-election by a landslide. He has loved serving our community almost full-time, far beyond what's expected, and I'm so proud of him for it.

He has been telling people for months now that when he terms out of city council at the end of the year, he is not planning to come back and run again even though he can technically do it after sitting out a full term. He gave it his very best and is happy with what he has done, and he is now ready to move on with his life and career. He has all kinds of entrepreneurial ideas that he has been saving up and he wants to earn some money before he retires since he has not been able to, by choice, because of such a high level of service to the community. I know Scott. My family knows him. Our friends know him. We all KNOW he is being truthful. He is ready to do something else outside of public office, although I'm certain he will always find ways to serve others because he has a servant's heart.

He has no desire to control me and he already knows he can't anyway. Even though I have absorbed a lot of city information merely through osmosis by being around Scott so much (attending countless events, watching council meetings, listening to him explain details to others, and having my own deep discussions with him on city topics), I still know that after I'm elected, I will be drinking from a fire hose for several months as I get up to speed on city government details and the various boards and commissions I'll serve on. Yes, I will absolutely be asking Scott about various aspects of current issues because he is a wealth of knowledge. I'm a fast learner and I'm not afraid to ask questions. But when it comes to making decisions, I absolutely will not be making them based on his desires, just like he didn't make decisions based on mine. The job is making the right decisions based on the whole city. I am intelligent and have an independent spirit, and if you read about me on this website, you'll discover that I come with a LOT of executive experience, education, and abilities.

Scott and I have been together since college. We love each other and will continue to be partners in life. But Scott will not be pulling any of my strings, nor will I be his puppet. I expect he'll accompany me to events and on service projects like I did with him because we are still best friends. But he will happily stand back in the shadows because this will be my responsibility and I will serve uniquely.

And if you like and respect Scott, I hope you realize that his endorsement of ME serving as the next D5 city council member, is SIGNIFICANT because he understands what it is will mean to our relationship. He already knows what it will do to my stress level. He knows what it will mean to my availability as his spouse. He knows he'll be doing a lot more meal preparation and hanging out with the grandchildren because I'll be a lot busier. He would NEVER support me running for this position if he didn't know I could handle it and successfully serve our community.

I'm proud to have his support and endorsement. I hope to earn yours as well.