Monday, May 19, 2014

Hard Choices

Representing District 3 on the Cook County Board of Commissioners is the most challenging--and the most rewarding--position I've ever held.  In a nutshell, I love the work.  Working with and working for the people of Cook County has been inspirational, a gift.  I'm grateful for the relationships, the knowledge gained and the life lessons learned, especially the hard ones.

In March 2014, I was honored to be selected as a 2014 Bush Foundation Fellow.  I will use this two-year fellowship to pursue graduate work in Public Affairs Leadership at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School and Executive Education coursework at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Classes begin in August.

And, so, it is with mixed emotions that I have decided not to run for re-election to the County Board.  The gift of a Bush Fellowship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I want to take full advantage of all that it has to offer.

It is my strong desire to combine the experience and knowledge I've gained as an elected official with my Bush Fellowship to continue working on the challenges facing small, rural communities.  It is important to the success of all of Minnesota, that we thrive and prosper in northeastern Minnesota.

My term ends on December 31, 2014.  However, the filing period for the November 2014 General Election begins on May 20 and ends on June 3.  For more information on how to file and run for elected office, go to the Minnesota Office of the Secretary of State.

If you are interested in running and wonder what it's like to be a County Commissioner in a small community, give me a call at 387-2111 or send me an email at susankayhakes@gmail.com.  I would be happy to share my experiences with you.

In the meantime, think about these words from Researcher and Storyteller, Brene Brown...

“When we spend our lives waiting until we’re perfect or bulletproof before we walk into the arena, we ultimately sacrifice relationships and opportunities that may not be recoverable, we squander our precious time, and we turn our backs on our gifts, those unique contributions that only we can make,” says Brown. “Perfect and bulletproof are seductive, but they don’t exist in the human experience.”