Hello Utah Valley! I am Michelle Kaufusi and I am the newly elected mayor of Provo City!
(It never gets old repeating that introduction. Even now when I say it out loud, or write it down, I am filled with excitement and gratitude. I get to be the mayor of one of the most top-ranked cities in the United States!
Due to the historical implications of the outcome, a lot was said about this past municipal election in Provo. Provo has never had a female mayor before and this past November, the city had two females on the ballot. During the campaign I tried very hard to make my platform about policies and ideas, but now that I am in office it’s nice to think about what it means to be the first female mayor of Provo
To me, it means a lot.
I was raised here in Provo by a single mom who worked graveyard shifts as a nurse to take care of her seven children. My mother’s load wasn’t easy and she worked incredibly hard, but because she chose to stay here in Provo we had a substantial amount of support. My neighborhood became a big enveloping family to my siblings and me.
Provo’s unique welcoming attitude and service-oriented community was a boon to my mother when she needed to know her kids would be safe in this town when she couldn’t be around. I grew up with a sense of duty to serve the community and give back what was so generously given to my family.
I know well the uphill battles many women face in our community. I’ve seen mothers showing up day-after-day to improve the lives of their children in our school system. I see our female student population putting an emphasis on education. I’ve watched many women in our community live courageous lives full of children, grandchildren, and church and community service.
Many times I have been that mother driving the carpool routes in sweats and sandals, with a half-eaten sandwich on the dashboard, trying to solve all the world’s problems at once. My hope is that the women of our city will come to know that they have an advocate in the mayor’s office who understands their lives, and shares their hopes and dreams. I may be the first female mayor, but I will certainly not be the last.