Q&A with Grace Mayor Jackie Barthlome

The News-Examiner recently sat down with Jackie Barthlome to interview her about what it's like to be the mayor of Grace. Here are her answers to our questions.

News-Examiner: What is the story behind what made you decide to run for mayor?

Barthlome: I dedicated years going to city council meetings and listened to discussions on budget allocations and project proposals. I observed the impact on citizens when their questions were ignored. I wanted to empower citizens to make their voices heard, so I launched my campaign with an open door policy. When citizens call and need to talk, I invite them to come sit down and collectively come up with a solution. It’s time for a new era of leadership that truly listens to people. With my open communication approach, we can unite as one community and achieve great things.

NE: How is the job different than you thought it would be?

Barthlome: I’m not entirely sure I fully understood the commitment of this role. Mayors with full-time jobs make it work, but I feel this is my full-time job. Unpredictability comes with the territory. You’re on call 24/7. Currently, we are putting in a new sewer system, which has proven very demanding in terms of resources and time. While there are many available funding options that could benefit our small community immensely, utilizing them effectively requires us to prioritize resourcefulness.

NE: Why do you think more women don’t run for political office in Southeast Idaho?

Barthlome: I’m not entirely sure. My guess is maybe they just don’t want to be involved. Maybe it’s the time required to do the job well. Of course, I have my personal time but also know that city emergencies come up and personal time is no longer about me. A mayor’s job doesn’t have room to be selfish. Much like being a parent there is no such thing as “clocking out.” I really don’t think most women want to commit that much time — time away from family.

NE: What does the female perspective bring to local government?

Barthlome: Women bring very different views to the table than a male does. Men often are very much numbers and statistics. Women can recognize numbers and statistics are important but also understand compassion and grace go a long way. Something some men don’t understand. Women can often be more relatable and can acknowledge emotions involved.

NE: What are your goals for Grace in both the short and long term?

Barthlome: It was a big goal for me to open up the lines of communication with the citizens. I wanted the town to feel inclusive and have a voice, not just a group of elected making the decisions. Now it’s ironic many want to be heard. However, months go by and city council meetings are still merely present by the city council members. If those want to be heard and seek change, they need to come forth and be seen. Long term I wanted to buffer a good savings fund. Emergencies are obviously unpredictable and we don’t have the luxury of buying new equipment. With that comes the cost of many repairs along the way. So as other bills got paid off we decided to keep living off what we had and used the extra to build up savings. We hope to continue building on this savings and leave the city in a more comfortable state when those emergencies arise.

NE: Tell us about why you spend so much time with local students?

Barthlome: A few years back Blue Cross Blue Shield out of Boise came out with a “Mayor’s Walking Challenge” to boost activity awareness but it was also a chance to earn money for their community. Mayors who signed up wore activity trackers and committed to walking daily. If I averaged 500 steps a day I could earn $500 that month. If I could average 10,000 steps a day, they would donate $1,000. I took that opportunity to not only earn funds for our schools but to also associate with the kids. It became such a highlight to my day to be greeted by those amazing kids. They would come running with smiles to walk with me. I didn’t earn those funds alone; kids very much helped me in this challenge. I loved getting to know our community of kids and now they are friendships. Community isn’t just made up of adults. The kids make our community what it is and are just as important. I wanted them to feel that — to know my face and that I’m a friend if they are ever in need.

NE: Who have your biggest inspirations been?

Barthlome: My family, of course, is the biggest one. My mom and dad spent most of their lives loving and serving others. They both were volunteers for many organizations in Grace. I can remember growing up and them continually reminding myself and siblings to go help someone in need. Now they are both gone. I still hear those words and can only hope I can make them proud.

NE: When you’re not working as mayor, how do you spend your time? What are your hobbies and pastimes?

Barthlome: I love to disconnect and just enjoy the quiet. I enjoy having my family over for dinners. I really enjoy getting some time to spend sewing quilts and gardening as well. The quiet and calm is always a favorite.

NE: If money were no object, what would you purchase for grace?

Barthlome: I would love to buy the city all new equipment and upgrade a few things to lessen maintenance and stress on the employees and city. As I mentioned before, buying new is just not a luxury many towns can afford. There are continual rising costs in everything. Our city is small and we realize the average incomes of the families living here aren’t super wealthy with excess income. It’s a hard balance to keep costs down and still grow and stay ahead of upkeep obligations.

I know it wasn’t a question but I would really like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Riley Crookston, Jake Wright, Shane Hamilton, Matt Loertscher, Shelley Reeves and Loy Raye Phillips. Without this crew on my team there is no way we could do what we do. Grace is a great place to live.