Kim Rodela

Which UWR Events Have You Attended?

I attended the Spring training of Real Women Run in 2019 from the recommendation of our former Highland City Mayor, Rod Mann, and also Susan Madsen. I had been approached about running for Highland City Council and directed to their spring training to learn more about what it took to run a campaign. I wasn't planning on running for office, never even thought about it, but decided to attend the training to understand the process for later down the road if I ever did decide to run. What I learned from that training was invaluable. I learned about campaign strategies, fundraising tips and tricks, best financial disclosure advice, and most importantly, established an incredible network of women who encouraged me to run for office. To this day I am still friends with the women I met at my table and credit them to giving me the confidence to run. I have since attended UWR as a mentor during their Winter 2023 training.

How are you now helping to mentor and train women? Why is it important?

I will take any opportunity I can to help train and mentor women for getting involved in the political process. When I ran for city council, there were 3 spots open and another woman, Brittney Bills, was running also. We got to know each other during the campaign and decided to put our resources together to help each other win. It has been invaluable having her on council with me as we have been able to support each other with different viewpoints and experiences. I've reached out to women I feel like are a good fit for a specific office and have encouraged them to run. Any material or learning experience I have gathered along the way of running a campaign I pass it on to others. That is what was done for me. When I ran for office, a friend and former work colleague, Sophia DiCaro, reached out to me and gave me all the advice and learning material she had when she ran. Having her as a mentor was a big factor in helping me win my seat. Just having someone to give you confidence, push you along the way and help you gain confidence in yourself is so important because you will struggle in any campaign with uncertainty and self-doubt.

What advice would you give to women who are looking to become more politically involved?

My number one advice would be to believe in yourself. Have confidence in what you bring to the table. When I was first approached about running for office, immediately thoughts came to my mind that I didn't have the experience or there were people that could do a much better job than me. I told myself that my kids were still little, my husband was commuting to San Francisco for work, and the timing wasn't right. Excuse after excuse of why I shouldn't run for office. After going to the UWR training I realized that every woman has an excuse, it just is a matter of deciding whether we let those excuses get in the way.

I might not have a lot of business experience but I do have a whole lot of experience knowing what types of parks our community needs, which trails need fixing, what amenities we lack for families, and I'm very good at being able to just listen and learn from people. My kids might be little but nobody could turn them down when they knocked on a door asking to vote for their mom. Timing is never right unless you make it right. Having served almost 4 years on city council, I truly believe I have made positive changes in our community, I have brought a different perspective that was sorely needed, and I know that women can make a tremendous difference in their community if they have the confidence to believe in themselves.