By SUSAN O’LEARY
Candidate for County Council

Election Day is this Tuesday, Nov. 4. If you’ve already voted, thank you for participating. If you haven’t voted yet and are still thinking about who to vote for, here are a few reasons to consider supporting me.

I’m a seasoned manager with years of experience serving in leadership roles in a large, successful for-profit organization. I’ve been held accountable for delivering specific results; aligning day-to-day decisions with high level goals, and making sure that funds were spent in ways that truly served strategic level goals. 

One of the practices that helped me consistently perform at a high level was listening to my customers. Understanding customer needs allowed me to deliver results through appropriate pricing, product development, sales and marketing, and operations management. I appreciate that citizens are both the customers and the owners of County government and if elected I’ll bring that customer service orientation to my role as your Councilor.

The Council benefits when its members hold a diverse set of skills, experiences, and perspectives; and I’ll add valuable diversity to the Council in that respect. As a mother of young children, I know what it’s like to raise a family in Los Alamos today. As an MBA and business executive, I have broad experience across business disciplines. As someone who’s lived in big cities and in places smaller and more remote than Los Alamos, I’ve seen local government succeed and fail in a number of different operating environments. And, as a dedicated volunteer and military spouse, I’ve demonstrated my commitment to serving the community.

I care about seeing Los Alamos reach its full potential as a fantastic place to live and work. Thirty years from now, I hope to be one of the healthy 80 year olds I see around town today, fresh from a hike and off to a committee meeting or get-together with grandkids. I get what makes this community so special for those of us lucky enough to live here. I get that the Laboratory is the engine that drives our community; and I understand that the County needs to be a very good partner to help the Laboratory succeed.

When I decided to run for the Council, I set a goal to maximize my campaign spending with local merchants. It seemed that if I wanted to serve this community, then I should show my dedication to our local business community, even if it meant spending a little more sometimes. I’m happy to report that I was able to spend 94 percent of my campaign dollars in Los Alamos County, and that I found services and goods of exceptional quality from our local vendors. 

You can learn more about me and my ideas at https:////oleary4LAC.com. I ask for your vote and would be honored to serve our community. Please vote on Tuesday, and be part of our great system of Democracy.