BY CORIE LYNN
The City of Hays is preparing for its next local election.
On Nov. 2, voters will cast their ballots for their next city commissioners. This year, they will vote in two commissioners for two-year terms and one commissioner for a one-year term.
Candidates include Dr. Reese Barrick, Samuel Allen and incumbents Sandy Jacobs and Shaun Musil.
Demetrius Chance is also listed on the ballet but has since moved out of Hays.
Sandy Jacobs has been a part of the Hays City Commission for the past five years. Currently, she serves as the mayor of Hays, but she is running for reelection as a commissioner.
She says that this experience has put her in tune with the needs of the area.
“I have worked through some very difficult issues, joined with the other commissioners in finding new ways to ensure sustainable, responsible and planned economic growth, and shown fiscal responsibility,” Jacobs said.
By running for reelection, Jacobs hopes to continue to pay it forward to the community in which she raised her family and share in the responsibility of public service.
A life-long resident of Hays, she has a passion for her community. But she views her professional experience as a former banker as having granted her the fiscal knowledge necessary for her place on the City Commission.
As commissioner, she was also able to learn about the resources available to Hays.
“We have a very well-versed group of sitting commissioners, all with the best in mind for Hays and the surrounding area,” Jacobs said. “We have worked together to move the needle forward and I believe will continue to do so.”
Should she be reelected, Jacobs would like to continue to foster collaboration to execute plans within the Hays area. In the past, she has reached out to the Ellis county commissioners to work for local residents and has also worked with FHSU and Hays Med.
Her overall goal is to leave the community better than when she found it and to collaborate with businesses and volunteers to do so.
“My ‘second career,’ executive director of Heartland Community Foundation, gave me a deeper look and understanding of the overall needs of our community, from food to shelter to educational needs to needed recreational improvements, etc, [which are] all quality of life initiatives,” Jacobs said.
She believes that the only way to do the right thing for one’s community is to keep oneself informed by reaching out to professionals and citizens.
“I continue to believe there is more to be done to ensure the future of Hays is constantly on our radar five, ten, 25 years from now,” Jacobs said.
But to Jacobs, the responsibility of the future of rural America as a whole is not only on its city commissioners. The responsibility is on every resident.
“I have appreciated the opportunity to serve the City of Hays and its residents and would like the chance to finish the work we have started by serving as a city commissioner for another term,” she said.