Happy Kids, Inc: Canby Oregon

I started this column with some musings on my life as the wife of a mayor of a small town. My husband has now been mayor about 9 months now. There have been highs and lows, as I am sure is the case with most political endeavors. My husband is confident in his decisions, has no regrets to this point.

And then there is the media. In our small town of 16,000 people, the "media" is a small local paper, Facebook, and word of mouth. I kid you not that news in a small town travels lightning fast, especially if you are a prominent member of the community.

A recent status update on my personal Facebook page was intended as a joke (although based on truth), but turned into much more. When you are in a small town and you are the mayor, you run into friends and constituents everywhere you go. You get into conversations. You are apprised of issues. Absolute requirement of the job, in my opinion. But I've gotten used to the fact that grocery store runs can take a lot longer than average. I've grown accustomed to local date nights involving "city conversation". Given, this does not happen every time my husband or we both are out and about. But it does happen frequently.

Fast forward to my Facebook post; it was prompted when a trip to pick-up take 'n bake pizza took a lot longer than expected. My status update poked fun at the town, stating "C'mon Canby, help a girl out?" Again, while this is based on truth, it was meant as a joke. Think boxers vs. briefs. It's not like I am tapping my watch at home, waiting for the mayor to arrive back home, as I stand in my flour-dusted apron with a baby on my hip. Besides, I don't even wear a watch. I will admit that these interruptions are more an inconvenience than bothersome. It wasn't taken this way.

Calls came into the city and other local offices, expressing concern. To this I replied, "Really? Can't anyone take a joke anymore?" It was only meant to make you chuckle. I ultimately felt compelled to remove the post. The mouthy mayor's wife had to remove her status update. Dang.

But I think this points to a larger issue with Facebook and other social media. In my opinion, users are more forthcoming, honest, and open to confrontation & arguments. It's easy to sound off on a topic from your laptop. I'm sure you've seen it many times in your Facebook news feed; all those stories that have gone viral and suddenly everyone is an expert on the topic. I am not saying a lot of those opinions are not founded and valid. But you also can't tell me that all those users haven't posted a comment simply based on a headline, a photo, or only reading the first few sentences of an article.

I took a leave of absence from Facebook about a year ago. And I will be honest, when my post was taken the wrong way, I honestly thought of stepping out of the Facebook ring again. Truth be told, I felt censored. It's my personal page and I can say whatever I want, right? I guess you won't be seeing me in the White House anytime soon.

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Have you had an experience with a Facebook or other social media post that you had to remove? Did you have unforeseen consequences from a social media post? Do you think what happened to me was justified?

If you like what you're reading, I invite you to follow my blog. Cheers!

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".

If you like what you're reading, I invite you to follow my blog. Cheers!