The Mayor's Wife

My husband always half joked, but half yearned just a little bit to be the mayor of a town someday.  He mentioned this to me even before we got married.  It was never something he actively pursued at first.  

When we moved to a smaller town, he became involved in the local chamber of commerce, which led to more community involvement.  He then became a member of the chamber board.  Soon, since my husband was so active, the board was urging him to run for an open city council position.  He did, was appointed, and then re-elected a year later. 

Well, he must have been doing something right because he was soon being urged to run against the current mayor in the next election.  Lo and behold, we discussed it and he decided to run!  

I was immediately thrown into the role of campaign manager and social media strategist (okay, those terms sound very "proper", but it is what I did!).  I had a good knowledge of promotion with my blog and my small business.  So, the promotion came easily.  I helped my husband create a blog to track the campaign.  We had a great team behind us, helping with walking door to door and coaching my husband for debates.  

In November 2012, he was elected mayor of Canby, Oregon.  The mayor of our town is not a full time position.  He serves more as a liaison between the community and the city administrator, as well as dictating the city council meetings.  

Although essentially a volunteer position, it's a lot of work!  He has the regular city council meetings, special events, regular lunches and meet and greets with businesses in town, and talking with citizens.

He often shares his experiences with me.  Did I want to know this much about budget talks, negotiations, and the inner workings of government?  Not really.  But I feel I do provide some good feedback and insights to the frustrations he shares with me.  It's both good and frustrating to know the details of all that goes on, even in our small town of 15,000.  

I'm called the "First Lady" a lot, and it's cute and thoughtful.  Hopefully I'm a good face, along with my husband, for the town. I can guarantee you that he brings honesty and a thoughtful nature to the job.  It doesn't feel overly political to be in these roles together...it feels natural and that we are doing a good service for the community.

If you'd like to check out my husband's blog, please click here.

Stay tuned for more installments and musings on my role as "first lady".

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