LOCAL GOVERNMENT Review Getting To Know You. . .

Whitney

Alderwoman City of Glendale

What sparked your interest to serve in local government?

I have always had a strong desire to serve others. My background is in healthcare as a Doctor of Physical Therapy, where I am now a director of clinical and translational research at an academic medical center. I moved to Saint Louis, Missouri, in 2017 and my family and I rented a home for a year while we explored suburbs in the surrounding area. In 2018, we stumbled upon Glendale, Missouri and found our forever home. Glendale is unlike any other city in Missouri, it is truly a unique gem and I strongly encourage you to visit if you have not done so already! Within my first year of living in this amazing community, I met the mayor and expressed my interest to serve my community beyond my full-time job in healthcare. Shortly thereafter, I became a member of the Board of Adjustment for the City of Glendale and served on that board until I was elected as Alderman in Glendale. Serving my constituents is so gratifying and I love being a team member serving my community.

What has been the toughest lesson you have learned during your career in local government?

One of the toughest lessons I have learned thus far during my term involves just learning and understanding the intricacies of our government and the laws, regulations, and guidelines for which we as aldermen have a responsibility to be knowledgeable on in order to best serve our constituents. I began my term and quickly hit the ground running, as the board had several major issues to tackle.

In your opinion, what are the most important issues facing local government in Missouri?

I think I can speak not only for Glendale, but for many other local governments when I say that infrastructure and environmental stressors are a constant everevolving problem for our community. One of our biggest issues for us is storm water mitigation and infrastructure work in an aging city.