Why I’m running for city council

Let me state for the record that six months ago, running for city council was the last thing on my mind. I can trace the seed of how I ended up filing my candidacy two weeks ago to a discussion I had with my colleagues on the Stillwater Human Rights Commission last fall, about the remarkable absence of women on Stillwater’s city council (and in the mayor role) – not just currently, but for the past five decades. The gender disparity is all the more striking because it isn’t reflected in the local governments of our neighboring cities.

We couldn’t immediately figure out how to address this mystery within the scope of the Human Rights Commission. But, intrigued, I continued to pursue it on my own time. I felt the commission made an important point in its discussion: that the best approach was to encourage all residents – not just women – to consider whether they had the time and interest in running for and serving on the city council. I wrote a series of five articles for the Stillwater Gazette – you can find them here, here, here, here, and here – about what it means to serve on the council, informed by interviews with past and current council members, in hopes of encouraging residents to realize that they may in fact have the necessary attributes to serve.

I also put out a survey asking why people would or wouldn’t want to run for city council. I learned a lot from the responses, but here is one in particular I want to share with you:

 “Stillwater is a good city, but not a great city. What props it up is the location (like good genetics, luck of the draw, it wasn't earned) and the connections with Washington County.”

A good city, but not a great city.

Yes. I think I agree. It’s easy to fall in love with Stillwater when you walk along the river, or stand at the top of the bluff and look out over the Commander building and take in the sight of boats going and to and fro under the lift bridge, or enjoy a dinner at one of the many excellent restaurants in historic downtown. Stillwater is special – It’s why I chose to move my family here 14 years ago and never bothered looking anywhere else.

But gorgeous buildings, a picturesque setting, beautiful parks, etc., etc. – these are primarily a combination of natural blessings and historic legacies that leaders past and present have had the good sense to preserve. We did not work to create them. They are not products of our ingenuity and innovation. Yes, they make Stillwater beautiful, but what makes a city great is the people – and how we do right by every one of them.

This includes the growing portion of residents who don’t fit in the “non-white, non-Hispanic” category. The young single parents and the residents new to Minnesota. The 6% of our neighbors living in poverty (a staggering 13.2% in a large swath of Ward 2 where I live), and those who are unhoused and/or food-insecure. The families struggling to afford childcare and a mortgage, and who wish for safer streets for their young children. Stillwater is home to us all, and the greatness of a city is measured by the extent to which it ensures that each and every resident – including the less-heard and less-seen – can pursue their happiness.

Six months ago, I had no aspirations to run for city council. But I have come to be inspired and motivated by every conversation I’ve had with my fellow residents, and here I am today with one goal: to listen with compassion and to apply my work ethic, creative problem solving, and critical thinking skills to serve all of you to lift up Stillwater.

So let’s start today. What do you think will take Stillwater from being a good city … to a GREAT city? Leave me a comment or send me an email. I’m listening.