My Turn Article

A few weeks ago, the AZ Republic asked all candidates to write an intro for themselves. My article was published in the Gilbert Republic section on January 3rd - thought I'd share with you the full content of what I wrote (some of it was edited by the Republic for space constraints).

My name is Jenn Daniels and I am excited to be a candidate for Gilbert Town Council. Running for town council is a great opportunity to increase my community involvement, to represent the Gilbert family and to connect with those who, like me, want Gilbert to thrive.

I am a wife and mother of three boys and I feel that Gilbert is the best place in Arizona to raise a family. I have a bachelor’s degree in Humanities from Brigham Young University and I have continued my education through classes at MCC and ASU. I was raised with strong values and morals and have been given the great opportunity to serve the community as a board member of United Families Arizona for the past five years.

I may be “just a mom” but I have a unique perspective and some tangible strengths to bring to our town council. I sense a real disconnect between our town government and the people of Gilbert. It is time to create and repair lines of communication. I want to clear the way for transparency within our town government and facilitate the sense of community that will only strengthen Gilbert. When decisions are made on behalf of Gilbert, we must ask: Is it true? Is it right? Is it good for the Gilbert family? Such a perspective will be well-represented if I am elected.

Gilbert is at a crossroads – growth has slowed and excessive spending requires that we immediately tighten the belt on the town’s budget. Tough economic times shouldn’t just apply to the hard-working Gilbert family. It is time to see restraint in spending along with careful planning to ensure the future economic prosperity of Gilbert. It may take a little creativity, some thinking outside the box, to bring solutions to the budget that preserve essential town services while cutting waste. I am whole-heartedly up for the challenge.

The role of government is to preserve the freedoms that are ours and to protect us from infringements on those freedoms. Especially at the local level, these principles are critically important. It’s time for Gilbert to get back to basics with an eye towards the future prosperity of our town. On March 10th vote for family values - vote for economic prudence – vote for Jenn Daniels.