Just 3 Weeks to Go Until Election Day!

Hey, everyone! The election is now just 3 short weeks away! In these last weeks, it is crucial for me to reach as many district 1 voters as possible. Please help out by sharing my campaign and telling your neighbors and friends in district 1! I am so appreciative of your support and help, and if elected, I will work as hard as I possibly can on your behalf.

The Christian County Headliner reached out to all of the city council candidates with 5 questions for us to answer. These answers will be published in the newspaper, but I'm not sure when. In the meantime, I thought I would go ahead and share my answers here:

1. List any relevant qualifications or experiences you would like voters to know about:

I am an active and well-known volunteer, leader, and advocate in the area (with PROMO, GLSEN, Free Mom Hugs, Nixa MO Diversity Advocates, etc.), and already have working relationships with members of the city council and administration, the police department, the school administration and board, and other city leaders. In addition, I was a member of the Strategic Planning Advisory Committee which crafted Nixa’s next 5-year strategic plan. As such, I’m invested in the plan and eager to be a part of its implementation. With my previous and ongoing civic involvement, in addition to my body of experience and skills, serving my community on city council is the next logical step, and one I’m very passionate about taking!

2. What action, if any, should the Nixa City Council take in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic or in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19?

It seems like Nixa has been doing a good job already of slowing the spread, and I believe that with the availability of the vaccine, there’s light on the horizon. We’re not out of the woods quite yet, though, and we must take care to avoid a resurgence. I believe that wearing masks and physical distancing, in addition to getting vaccinated, are still the best steps we can take over the next few months. Once the current mask mandate is ended, I think that the best thing council can do is to continue to encourage (and serve as an example to) Nixans to wear masks and physically distance, and to get vaccinated when eligible. I believe that businesses should remain open and some events should start to take place again, with proper precautions in place. And the more of us who are vaccinated, the sooner we will all be able to get back to normal.

3. What is your opinion about the level of accessibility that the Nixa City Council has with the general public?

I believe that council has done a great job of being accessible and transparent. Meetings are always posted on the city’s website as well as social media, and agendas are available to the public ahead of time, so that residents can plan ahead as far as attending or speaking at meetings. District 1 council member Jarad Giddens has been very proactive about keeping his followers informed on social media, and our city’s Director of Communications, Drew Douglas, goes above and beyond to disseminate information. All that said, there is always room for improvement, and the city’s 5-year plan includes a website overhaul as well as the creation of an interactive app for residents. There are also plans to create a virtual streaming platform for city council meetings, for those residents who can’t attend in person. I’m excited about these changes, and think that they will move the city to a whole new level of accessibility!

4. Is there an area of city government that you hope to develop advanced knowledge of in the future? If yes, describe.

I can’t necessarily point to one single area, as I’m fascinated with all of them! I want to learn as much as possible, and plan to do so while continuing my civic involvement whether or not I’m elected to council. Most issues are not black and white, but rather have a lot of grey area, and I really enjoy the challenge of working within that grey area to find solutions. In attending city council meetings and listening to ordinances being debated and residents speaking about issues, I have consistently noted that there are usually valid points on both sides of an issue. Much of the time, decisions made by the council will make one group of people happy and one group unhappy - that’s a very tough spot to be in! But it’s this process of weighing pros and cons and figuring out which solution would best serve the greater good which intrigues me, and which I think I’m very well-suited for. I’m a logical thinker who is very detail-oriented, analyzes problems from all angles, and thinks outside of the box when necessary. In addition, I feel that I have a strong ability to empathize with others – to put myself in their shoes. Many issues brought before city council would not affect me personally, but that doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t care about them or take them seriously. I believe strongly that part of being a contributing member of society is recognizing that something shouldn’t have to affect you personally for it to matter to you – we should all care about each other. My great passions in life are problem-solving and helping others, and as a member of council, I would be able to put those passions to work and be a voice for ALL Nixans.

5. What level of involvement should Nixa have in partnering with other local governments such as Ozark and Christian County and with regional economic development groups? Why?

I believe that Nixa should have the highest possible level of involvement in partnering with other local governments and regional economic development groups, and from what I have seen so far, I think that it strives to do so. Nixa does not exist in a bubble and cannot possibly thrive unless it works in concert with other local governments and agencies. Nixa, Ozark, and Christian County as a whole share the same issue of being “bedroom communities” – our residents may live here, but a great majority of them work in another municipality. This presents unique challenges to our economies, and there is much to be gained by working together to address these challenges, share ideas, and collaborate in creating solutions. It can be tricky for a bedroom community to find a good balance between supporting local small businesses (We have some really wonderful small businesses here!) and welcoming new businesses which will bring more money and jobs, thereby boosting the economy and infrastructure and better balancing the tax burden. I’m eager to be a part of finding and maintaining that balance.

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