At Girl Scouts River Valleys, Girls' voices are important and we created a space for older girls to learn how to express their views about matters important to them persuasively and skillfully. This space, the Girl Scouts River Valleys Press Corps, is a team of specially trained Girl Scouts who go behind the scenes of council and community events, gather all the facts, talk to the VIPs, snap photos, and share their stories with the Girl Scout community—all from a girl’s point of view! During our February 2020 monthly meeting, Girl Scouts River Valleys Press Corps members flexed their reporter skills while learning about the political journey of Richfield City Council Member At-Large, Mary Supple. Below is a segment of their interview. Learn more about Girl Scouts River Valleys Press Corps or if you're ready, apply now.
My fellow Press Corps members and I were extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to engage in conversation with a wonderful and inspiring woman in Minnesota a couple of weeks ago, Richfield City Council Member At-Large Supple. Council Member Supple started out as a business major in college and was introduced to teaching through a bilingual teachers' program. Her time in education introduced her to many issues and she worked her way towards to politics throughout the years.
When interviewing Council Member Supple, we had many questions, which she was quick to answer. Below are a few of the questions we were able to ask and Council Member Supples's answers:
Q: Why did you decide to run for the City Council in Richfield?
A: “When I was growing up, we lived out in the country and my mom was on the town board. She always said to be involved with your city. When I became a teacher, I became involved with the teachers union and became more involved with public policy. Eventually, I decided the best way to do that was to run for City Council member.”
Q: Has the experience of serving on City Council been what you thought it was going to be like?
A: “Some of it was what I thought it would be, because I had been on city boards before, but it turned out there's a lot more than I realized. I mostly knew what to expect, it wasn’t a big surprise.”
Q: What is the difference between an at-large council member, a mayor, and a ward?
A: “In Richfield there are five people on the council; the mayor, the three representatives of the wards, and the at-large position. An at-large council member represents the whole city. We all make policy decisions and meet twice a month to discuss these things. Each of us are part of different commissions and committees.”
Q: What have been your experiences with Girl Scouts?
A: “When I was growing up I was involved in 4H, but had friends in Girl Scouts. As a teacher I’ve also had students in Girl Scouts. Though it has not been a personal experience for me, everything I’ve heard about Girl Scouts and been around has been extremely positive.”
Q: How was your experience running for Council Member of Richfield?
A: “It was interesting for me because I’ve been a teacher in Richfield for 30 years. When I was knocking on doors and talking to people, I kept running into former students. It was an overwhelmingly positive experience and gave me a lot of optimism.”
The Press Corps and I had so much fun getting to do this interview. Thank you to Council Member Supple for all your fine insight and advice!
Written by Press Corp Member Remington F.
