The short answer is because I had a beautifully clear moment as I was leaving a training for the Utah State Bar Leadership, as I drove up State Street towards the Utah State Capitol, in which I undeniably felt that running for Kaysville City Council in 2025 is an action that I need to take. I am, sometimes stubbornly, one to follow such impressions. So, here I am, updating a website that I did not foresee myself using again.
Now for the longer answer.
When I ran in 2017 I learned one simple truth. Elected politics are hard. Convincing people to vote for you can be vunerable. Canvasing to meet the community can be a time consuming endevor. Defending your positions can be filled with hard conflict. And at the end of all of that, there will still be things outside of your control that won’t weigh in your favor. As much as I love the structure, progress, and sense of community that local government can provide, I recognized there are more ways to be a part of this process outside of elected politics.
As I analysed what I wanted to do to be a part of the process (without having to run a campaign), I was strongly drawn to going back to school in order to get my law degree. As a 40 year old mother of 4, this was a daunting thought. But not one that I shied away from. After finishing my stint as the PTA president at my kids elementary school in 2019-2020 (yay Covid), I started pursuit of my law degree through Syracuse University in New York. I graduated in May of 2023 with a solid legal foundation and passed the bar in July of 2023 with a strong desire to be a part of the Juvenile Court systems of Utah.
The last two years of my profressional life have been spent growing in my legal practice. I worked as a law clerk for the 32 (now 33) Juvenile Court Judges throughout Utah. From there I transitioned to a position as an Assistant Attorney General representing DCFS in Davis County. Most recently, I took on a position as a Guardian Ad Litem Attorney in the Ogden area. Each of these experiences has reaffirmed to me that there are a multitude of needs in our communities and, even more important, a network of individuals trying to effect change within their spheres of influence. While being a mom to my four kids is still my top priority, helping the 50+ kids that are now under my stewardship has become a great joy and honor that I do not take lightly.
And at the end of all of this intense period of growth, I have come back to my home community of Kaysville. I know the needs of our community first hand. I see the strength that can come through building up our community with good city planning and oversight. And I still feel a strong desire to give back to Kaysville for the gifts of stability, safety, and peace that have come to me and my family through living in this amazing community.
