1-on-1 with DP – 93.7 The Ticket KNTK - One-On-One with DP: December 8th, 3pm - Mayor Baird

Episode Date: December 8, 2021

One-On-One with DP: December 8th, 3pm - Mayor BairdAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

they rest on and that they write on. Who are those heroes for you, those people who taught you how to lead, inspired you to lead? You know, I feel fortunate to have worked with so many amazing leaders in Lincoln over the years, and I was encouraged really early on by the very first female mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska, Helen Bousalas, way back, way back in the mid-2000s when I joined the Planning Commission. She was retired from public life. I was appointed at the Planning Commission, and she sent me a handwritten note, sent it to my home.

I received this beautiful letter in her penmanship that just told me how important the work that I would be doing on the Planning Commission is to the city and how delighted she was to see a woman stepping forward to serve. and it stuck with me because what she did in that moment with that one little note on a three and a half by five inch piece of white stationary was she she elevated my sense of what was possible and that I could have a role in contributing and that I belonged and I mean what a powerful thing to do with just one handwritten note.

You know, so she's been one person in my public life who's inspired me. But of course, family. I mean, I'm the daughter of public school teachers and my parents worked hard at a job that really touched so many lives and made such a difference to so many young people. And I used to, you know, be so impressed when I'd be out with my parents and my dad, who is a biology teacher and a basketball coach, you know, people would always be coming up to him and saying, hey, coach, and then thanking him for the difference he'd made in their lives. And I just got a real sense early on that a job can be more than just a career. It can be something that makes people.

people's lives better. Mayor, that's fantastic because we have conversations on this show about leadership, and it's constant that leadership can vary in definition depending on time space person. For you, if I asked you for your personal definition of leadership, what would you say? Well, I can define that a lot of different ways, especially given the last 18 months that we've all experienced and endured hardship. But, you know, I like to think about how to find your purpose and pursue it in a way that makes life better for people. And that leadership in times of struggle is often about doing the right thing even though it's hard. So doing what's right, doing what has meaning for the community, and doing it in a way that brings people along, you know, that goes into my thinking of the definition of leadership. Mayor, you mentioned the 18 months, and it's just, it's been a test for all of us in some way, shape, or form, and we've all been reformed by it.

But what we've come to accept more now is that family is community, community is family. And if we don't work from that space, we can't accomplish the things that we want. So when somebody asks you what you want them to think of when it comes to this city that is Lincoln, what comes to mind? What words come to mind in describing Lincoln and this community? I love thinking about Lincoln as the middle of everywhere, metaphorically and literally. I think there's so much possibility in this community and that we have a story to tell the rest of the nation about what it means to create partnerships to get things done. But you mentioned family, and I love serving in local government because you are serving your neighbors and your family and your friends.

and it is a chance to really make a meaningful difference that you can see and taste and touch and feel. And so, you know, I value that very much being close to the ground, bumping into people in the grocery store and having conversations about what we've just done at the city and what a difference it made in a neighborhood. Those are meaningful interactions to me. I love that we vote on, you know, have votes on things at City Council, and we're digging shovels in the ground and getting things done. It's a very pragmatic and practical way of making life better in our community

in ways that people can really understand and feel and react to. And then, of course, you hear about it when they feel differently. So, I mean, it's a conversation. It's an ongoing conversation and dialogue. And if we're doing our jobs right, we're delivering on the priorities that we hear people, say, mean the most to them. We're talking to Mayor Gaylor-Baird. And again, I'll thank you again because I always know that the vacuums that we choose to be in, we have to be very specific.

And in thinking of what I wanted to talk to you about, it's direction. What direction would you want and hope for Lincoln? Is there some image that comes to mind or there goals that are in place that you want to achieve under your leadership? here. Yeah, well, I mean, we have some fundamental responsibilities in city government to deliver on basic infrastructure and to make sure that the community has good public safety professionals and responses in place. But we also want to be the quality of life capital of the country. And I think that there's a powerful story to tell the rest of the country about the kind of life you can live in Lincoln, Nebraska.

And again, when I say middle of everywhere, that really is a counter to perceptions that people have of the Midwest as being flyover country. And like that, it's anything but, you know, if you land in Lincoln, you can have a meaningful career and time with your family. You can have short commutes and purposeful work. You can get high-quality education and opportunities to do exciting things. So I think that shining a light on all that Lincoln is and can be is an important part of what we do here at the city. And I, you know, our administration is a part of leading Lincoln towards a more successful, secure, and shared future.

That's the vision statement for our administration. Mayor, I've been here just over two years, and the question that I'm asked the most is, well, why? Why did you choose Lincoln? And that became simple for me, and it's been a part of my ice breaking if I'm meeting new people. I'll ask you that very same question because it's an interesting journey for you to get here. Why did you choose Lincoln or did Lincoln choose you? Probably both. Love brought me to Lincoln.

My family has been in Nebraska for generations, and my husband grew up in Superior. and his parents settled in Lincoln after all the kids had gone off to college. And we chose to be here because we think it's a great place to raise a family. And we have certainly found that that has been the case. We have three kids, and we've raised them and been able to spend time with them. You know, a lot of families in other big cities work from dawn till dusk and can't have the kind of quality time with the people they love most. And in Lincoln, you kind of get the best of business.

both worlds, you can do important, meaningful work for your community and also have a really great quality of life with your family. And then I feel very, you know, appreciative and grateful that I have been able to serve as a planning commissioner, a city council person, and currently as mayor, because those opportunities to give back, give me purpose, and help me show my family that I think public service is absolutely important and that we We all have something that we can contribute to the public good. I want to set that example for my kids, and Lincoln has given me the opportunity to do that. Mayor, do you ever sit back in the office behind the desk and you exhale, and I know it's rare that you get to exhale,

but you're actually just to exhale and lean back in the chair and go, wow, I'm one of 52? Yeah, you know, it's funny. there are all the pictures of the former mayors of Lincoln, Nebraska, out in the hallway, little headshots of everyone who's served in this role. And there are a lot of beards way back in the 1800s, a lot of folks that look like they stepped out of the history book. But I've stopped to pause and look at the one of Mayor Miller, who was mayor during the 1918 pandemic, and just thought, oh, I wish I could have a conversation with you. You're the one who really understands what life is like.

for us right now. But yeah, it is, it is, I do feel very, very fortunate to be following in the footsteps, standing on the shoulders, as you said, of so many dedicated public servants who've come before me. You mentioned your parents as educated. I'd like to go a little deeper into that. Tell us who. I mean, let us know who they were, because we're all the production of, especially on the

best level, we're an accumulation of great. heroes. So let's talk about these educators that raised you. What should we want to know? Well, my mom taught English in high school and journalism and yearbook and then eventually became a high school counselor. And my stepdad was a biology teacher and a basketball coach, as I mentioned. And, you know, I guess what they really instilled in me was the value of an education and the value of seeing things from different perspectives, you know, a classroom full of kids and all the different perspectives that people bring, and that a career can have real purpose beyond the paycheck, even though, of course, a paycheck is important.

But I think those values shaped me early on in terms of wanting to make a difference for my community and to make sure that opportunity is available to more people, especially opportunity through education and prior to becoming an elected official. I did spend a fair amount of time in youth development space working as a director of a boys and girls club and also for an AmeriCorps program where we were really trying to help kids from a very young age, kids who are maybe first generation. going to college, help them get on that track so that they could open up more opportunities for themselves and their families.

So being the child of educators really had a very powerful and profound impact on my own career choices. It's always been in the circle of educators. It's always, well, it's more about the outcome than the income. And it's, as you just said, that there's power and accepting service as a part of what you're doing. And let's be clear, the mayor position is one of service. And it takes a unique person to have the character and integrity to do this because sometimes it doesn't always seem appealing to get the bounce back even when you're trying to help people.

And I'll take this opportunity to say thank you for what you do in the work that you do because it's not easy. Thank you. When we decided to get into this town and be a part of the community and get ownership of a radio station, which. amplifies something. What I try to do is make sure that amplifies the good in us. And so part of that is giving access, as you said, you know, giving people opportunity.

What, from a business owner to the mayor, I'll ask you, what can this station do to help with the messaging to make sure that there is inclusion, that folks feel like they have an opportunity, they feel like they're heard, what can we do, directly to help.

Well, I think helping to build bridges and build bridges through conversations like this one and the others that you have on air where we try to respectfully understand different perspectives. You know, I know that controversy can sell papers, but we have work to do to build bridges instead of breaking with one another. And we have so much more in common with each other than we often stop to recognize. and I think that you all play a special role, especially because sports is one of the places where people do come together and find unity and harmony in sharing support for the team that you love.

And that's fertile ground for building relationship. And if you believe that adage that progress happens at the speed of trust, then relationships are absolutely fundamental to progress. because that's where we've learned to trust one another. So I think you play a big role in that. We will work from that. And now that I've given you the standard questions, let's have some fun.

Please tell me that I can ask you about the Halloween costume. Please. Sure, for sure. Go ahead. Please tell me, you know, what is it about Tad Lassau that everybody believes is awesome? Like what is the thing that makes us all smile in that? Oh, I had fun dressing up as Ted Lasso. Yeah, I love the show. I mean, I think it's such a nice antidote to the division that we see across the country and around the globe. It's the power of kindness and, you know, the witty dialogue and the characters who make a difference in their lives because they really care about one another. I don't know, he past that sign up above the locker room that says, leave and inspires hope in people who, you know, need that extra inspiration.

And plus he's just goofy and fun. Plus you nailed it. Like, you absolutely nailed it. I don't know if folks have all seen that picture, but you crushed it. So I was like, okay. All right, that's an easy way. Big mustache help. Right, right, right, right.

Like, I'm like, that's a wind that we can have. When we met, I wanted to take time just to be specific in the introduction. Because you come across, you press so many palms. and you engage as many people as you can, positive or negative. But you made a point to give me a smile and a handshake, which was so authentic and rare. And I don't want it to get lost that, no matter what we're doing, ultimately, if we remember the community side of this thing,

we can get to whatever we wanted to be. Now, that leads to the question, what do we want this to be? What do you want Lincoln to be in the future? Is there some utopia that you have in mind? Well, I would say that one of the beautiful things about Lincoln, only the things I hear people praise Lincoln for is that it sort of feels like a big, small town. And so as we grow into the future, I hope we never lose that sort of special quality or that culture of kindness and the idea that, you know, no one's totally anonymous,

that we recognize one another as being in community with one another. And so, you know, as Lincoln continues to grow, I hope that we continue to feel like we're all neighbors that we're in it together, and that even though we have disagreements, like we're all working towards that common purpose of being an amazing city that people want to come and live in and work in and play in. And I'm optimistic that that's where we're headed. Well, I know that you are one of the few people that's busier than I am,

and so I am not going to occupy all of your time this afternoon. I am grateful and appreciative. I'll ask you one final thing, if you would, please. Give a message to Husker fans who are trying to figure out how they're going to get through their day with the way the sports teams are playing lately. Well, I mean, I believe in the power of visualization. Visualized success, visualize the win, and send goodbyes out there to our Huskers. We can get this done.

Mayor, thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your access and your energy. It is necessary and required, and it is greatly appreciated. So thank you for giving me time today. Hey, thank you for an invitation. I love to having the conversation. All right. That is the mayor.

Mayor Gaylor Baird, and I am appreciative that she would make time just to have basic conversations about this. In times of chaos, in times of. angst in times of anger and disappointment and in some cases depression i mean folks are trying to figure out how to get through ultimately leader at top has some ability to help that and the fact that she would make time for us us little little folks here over at 93 7 the ticket um it's appreciated so um it will be a busy hour and it'll be a busy couple of of hours through the course of this thing Phil Darius Payne will join us

in the 4 o'clock hour with Jay Foreman and if you know our hearts, you know that's going to be a conversation. That's going to be a conversation. That's going to be a conversation of love, people that are going to love on the young man. When we go to the next break, somebody offered to come on the show today.

And it wasn't, It doesn't expected, but it is appreciated because people are talking about athletes as though they forget that they, these kids are trying. Excuse me, they're busting their homes. Nobody's really trying to do poorly. And they're certainly not trying to represent or misrepresent the Husker brand and the university itself. So in times of difficulty, what happens is leaders step up and they communicate. and they show themselves available to you. What happened early today was I got a text from Trey McGowan.

And he offered to come on air today. That is leadership. That is leadership. There's no blanket over the head. You're not hiding from anything. He's going to step up and speak to Husker fans. A lot of questions that are around the basketball program can be entered by, they're missing their captain, their leader.

He's the heart beat and the pulse. And for him to step up, my goodness gracious, for him to step up, made me smile. That's the kind of captain. That's the kind of leadership you want. There's somebody that will step up when things are crazy. He just wanted to say, we're okay. And if you don't get that part of being a sportsman,

and recalibrate, recalculate. So we'll throw it to break. And when we come back, we will have Trey McGowan from the Husker basketball team. Let us know how he's doing, how they're doing, and what we can look forward to going forward. This is 101. 937, The Ticket. Download our app by searching 93.7, The Ticket in your app store. You're listening to One-on-One-One with DP on 937 The Ticket in the Ticketfm.com.