HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 01-20 A fresh voice for Maplewood MAPLEWOOD REVIEW3/16/2016 A fresh voice for Maplewood I Lillie Suburban Newspapers - LillieNews.com
A fresh voice for Maplewood
Submitted by admin on Wed, 01/20/2016 - 12:00am
By: Elizabeth Jaeger
l ala n. aaod's newly elected ted a;aaa. ncil members 7bu Xlong, left, and Bryn
Smith were welcomed with a reception at city hall before being sworn in at
the council ass ting Ja n, 11, (/....in a Baa. mist's rlReview)
In high school, Bryan Smith was one of the theater kids. He spent his extra time rehearsing lines and putting on shows. Smith
entered the University of Minnesota with a love for music, harboring hopes of becoming a musician as he enrolled as a voice
major.
Now, Smith will be taking on a new role as a city council member and use his voice on the part of Maplewood. Last
November he was elected to the Maplewood City Council, along with Tou Xiong. The official swearing-in ceremony for them
was Jan. 11.
Searching for more
Smith's journey to get to this point has been years in the making. Running for office was not a decision he took lightly. Smith
graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Minnesota and spent time as an intern on various
campaigns in both Minnesota and Washington, D.C. He went on to get his MBA, also from the U of M.
Along the way he decided that if he were to continue staying involved in politics, he would want to run for office and notjust
be a campaign staffer. "I wanted to go do something first," Smith explains, adding that he wanted explore other careers and
have more life experiences before running for office.
So, he switched from staffing to sales. Smith has worked in both sales and marketing at businesses such as Thomson
Reuters, General Mills and Tennant Company. He says his time in sales has helped him "build a strong resilience," which has
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been a key part of running for his spot as a city council member. "it has taught me to have faith that if I keep working hard,
good things will happen," Smith says.
His time in marketing also set him up for success in his recent campaign, helping him to be a better communicator. Smith
hopes that his communication skills will also help him be a better liaison to the people of Maplewood. One of his goals as a
city council member is to maintain good communication between the city council and those who live in Maplewood.
Family first
Smith cites his wife, Jennie, as being one of his biggest supporters. "She was always saying that more people like me should
run for office," Smith explains. "So eventually I did." He has been very grateful for her support amidst the craziness of
campaigning.
His wife is notthe only one at him cheering him on, though. They have a son, Zack, who is 7 years old.
The three of them do not always get a lot of time together throughoutthe week, between work and school and Zack's karate
classes. However, Smith emphasizes thatthey intentionally have "active, family -focused weekends" to make up for it. The
family members are avid outdoors people, spending time in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area in the summer and
going on ski trips in the winter.
Smith has been a downhill ski instructor for 25 years and his son and wife have become involved as well. He also enjoys
working on cars. Naturally, Smith said he and his family enjoys the annual History Cruzers car show that takes place on
Fridays during the summer in North St. Paul.
Tackling the issues
The new council member already has big goals that he would like to accomplish in the next four years.
One of his biggest personal goals is to be a reasonable leader for the town. He wants to "make good decisions based on as
much data as possible," and says that it's not unlike what he does at work, so he feels well prepared.
Smith is dedicated to finding out a lot about the issues in order to make the best decisions. He says he knows that issues
usually do not have a quick fix and is willing to put in the time to be informed about the many options before voting on
projects and proposals.
He also believes strongly in building up the city. He wants to address the challenges of maintaining and improving
Maplewood's infrastructure and continue the work of former council members.
Smith says he wants to be thoughtful but aggressive in attracting the right businesses to Maplewood. Doing so will provide
new jobs and help the city "sell itself," according to Smith.
From parks and recreation to infrastructure to business, Smith hopes his time as a councilmember will be productive and help
the city thrive.
Elizabeth Jaeger can be reached at eiaeger@lillienews.com or at 651-748-7814.
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