Donna Lind: Q & A With Scotts Valley's New Mayor

Serving Scotts Valley has been a large part of Donna Lind’s life, and it started long before she became the city’s mayor at the end of December.

It all began back in 1968 when she was a young high school student looking for her first full-time job. That hunt brought her to Scotts Valley where she landed a job as a secretary in the city manager’s office. A year later, she became a secretary for the city’s police department where she says she was bit by the law enforcement bug. That bug led to a career with the Scotts Valley Police Department that spanned 38 years. She held various positions during those years, including emergency dispatcher, dispatch supervisor, sworn police officer and police sergeant.

After retiring from the police department in 2008 Lind made the decision to run for city council and to continue serving the Scotts Valley community. Along with her duties to the city, Lind also serves as president of the Fallen Officers Foundation and as an ambassador for the Scotts Valley Chamber of Commerce.

Lind says it has been exciting and an honor to take over the position as mayor and she is looking forward to the upcoming year. Read on to find out what Lind’s vision for her term as mayor is and what important issues she is looking forward to taking on.

Scotts Valley Patch: You have served Scotts Valley in many ways over the years. How does it feel to now serve the city and its residents as the mayor?

Donna Lind: It’s really exciting. When I was first encouraged to run, I said I didn’t have any experience in governing or politics. I was flattered to be asked but didn’t feel I had that experience. But I learned through police work to listen to people, to problem solve, and conflict management.

I realized somewhere along the lines as a council member that I had a lot more experience governing than I realized because so much of my career helped prepare me for the things that I’m doing now. You are still enforcing codes, you still need to listen, problem solve, and find the answers. I may not know some things, but I know how to find the answers now. It’s exciting. I’ve finished one career. It’s hard to step away and close that door on a law enforcement career that I absolutely loved, but this has been an exciting new chapter in my life that I didn’t’ expect to happen.

Patch: What is your vision for your term of mayor in 2012?

Lind: One of the reasons I agreed to run is that I thoroughly respect my fellow council members. I knew I had them to mentor with and that we would work well together.

They have done a great job in being very conservative and fiscally responsible. When the economy dropped right after I was elected, many jurisdictions were suddenly in debt but we had been so careful. We’ve been able to weather the storm much better than we would have had it not been for this very conservative approach.

But we still need to continue. My work with the Chamber has exposed me to many businesses. I’m hoping I can use that position to become aware of businesses that are looking to expand and help encourage them and show them what a great community Scotts Valley is. I want to help bring new business and growing businesses to the city.

Patch: Are there any projects that you are especially looking forward to taking on this year?

Lind: I have some friends that have been excited about the dog park that was going to be built on Glenwood. The funds were donated to buy the property, then, when the economy dropped, we didn’t have the funds to develop it. You have to manage the funds more carefully and take care of the current needs. But I’ve had people who have asked about it. Some people have said they would be willing to volunteer and help organize other volunteer and raise funds or get people to donate materials to finish that dog park. I’m hoping to be able to work with some of our citizens who have offered to help to see that be completed.

Another concern for me is seniors. I’ve worked with seniors throughout my career. When I became a council member I volunteered to be assigned to the committees involving seniors and to be a liaison to the senior center to work with the senior commission. Seniors are being really hurt by some of the steps the governor has taken in the budget cuts. Some of the programs being affected are Meals on Wheels and the Alzheimer and day care centers. A lot of senior programs’ funding has been cut dramatically, some eliminated.

Some of these cuts end up costing the taxpayers more. If you don’t have things like the day care center, then families have to place their seniors into some type of a care facility that generally is funded through Medicare. So in the long run it can end up costing more than to keep them in their home.

Anything we can do to keep them in their home in the long run saves us all money and it makes them happier. I just think sometimes we lose site of our seniors and how important they are. I want to be a voice for them.

Patch: What do you see as the most pressing issues facing Scotts Valley right now?

Lind: There are a few. It doesn’t involve me, but obviously our schools are facing some critical times.

For [the city council] it is economic development. It’s trying to maintain our services to be able to keep our police department strong, our parks and our programs that are really important, trying to keep them funded.

We are just working on ways to try to meet our budget and still maintain the services that our community has come to depend on.

Patch: Tell me about the town center and where things stand right now. Can you talk about the progress of it?

Lind: When I was being elected, I really thought that it was going to be completed before the end of my four years, or at least a lot more accomplished. I think we all did but no one envisioned what happened with the economy.

It’s going to be hard to have some of the stores and businesses want to expand or start a new business in Scotts Valley when they are trying to keep afloat and not drown. That is what slowed it down. Some of the anchor stores that where looking at opening a new store have tried to just batten down the hatches, and just hang on and not expand.

It came to baby steps. There is still a lot of work being done behind the scenes that isn’t visible.

Patch: If you had unlimited funds, time and deciding power what would you do to improve Scotts Valley?

Lind: It would be the town center right now. If I were king for a day, not that there aren’t other things, but boy, it would bring so much to people and really help our local businesses. It would just be such a boost in the arm to the community.

Those tax dollars would then support our schools, they would help our fire service. There is that ripple effect that getting the town center completed would have.

Patch: As a longtime Scotts Valley resident, what do you think is the city’s best kept secret and what do you love about living here?

Lind: I love walking along the trails in Lodato Park. It is one of our hidden secrets. It’s just a beautiful area. I think we have incredible parks here. I love some of the activities that we are able to do in them–Music in the Park, our fireworks display. I just think we have a couple of really gorgeous parks.

I just love our community. I feel like we have such a unique environment in Scotts Valley. There is a closeness in the community. This community pulls together. I have had exceptional job offers in other places throughout my career but I just wouldn’t live anywhere else. It would break my heart to leave Scotts Valley because I think we have such a special place and it’s all about the people.