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August-September 2008
Fulfilling Her Purpose
 Jean Ford
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At age 10, Jean Ford new that she was destined to be in some type of political office. “I was always interested in government since I was in the fourth grade. Back then, I didn’t think about being a political figure, but when the occasion arose later in my life, I took the opportunity and bid on a City Council seat. I sat on the Williamstown City Council for seven years. In my seventh year, the Mayor of Williamstown became ill, and I was appointed the acting Mayor until his term ended which was about four months,” she said.
She added, “It was then, that I knew that I wanted to be a political leader, so I ran for the office of Mayor and I won. That was in l997, and I have loved every minute of being the Mayor of Williamstown. I was just recently re-elected to serve for two more years as Mayor.”
“My goal was simple when I was elected the first time. I wanted to make the City of Williamstown better and I wanted to enhance the park to make it a place the citizens of Williamstown would be proud to visit and bring their families. Williamstown is a family community, and at that time all the toys in the park were rusted and the park was quite run-down. Today, I am proud to say, that Williamstown has a lovely park that is full of people and their children every day. The park is clean and very safe. We have a wide variety of activities and events that happen in the park throughout the year. One of the other things I took on when I was the newly elected Mayor, was the cost of the insurance for the City. I, along with the Council, was able to find more affordable and better insurance for about the same cost,” she commented.
“I believe in giving back in a positive way. This is my hometown. I graduated from Williamstown High School. I want the people of Williamstown to be proud of our city. I must say that the people of Williamstown have a great community spirit and a great willingness to work together to make things happen. Our latest community endeavor is the swimming pool project. We had to close the swimming pool to allow for the growth of the High School. To have a city pool again, we needed to raise $1 million dollars. And, finally, it’s done! We have about 3,000 people in the Williamstown community who use our public facilities. Williamstown schools are highly ranked in the State for their education and their recreational achievements,” she continued.
In addition to the many activities and responsibilities as Mayor, Jean also runs two jewelry stores -- one in Vienna, West Virginia and one in Marietta, Ohio. “I love doing what I’m doing. I love seeing the children play in the park. And, I am really going to enjoy seeing the children take their first dips into our new city pool,” she said.
Jean’s advice for women is to remember that you are capable of doing what ever you want to do. “You must prove yourself. There is nothing you can’t accomplish. I think women have a soft, caring side and it wins people over after you have proven that you can do the job. Being a woman is something special. We all have special gifts and we must learn to put them to work to make this world a better place,” she ended.
Jean Ford is the Mayor of the City of Williamstown, West Virginia. Her office is located at 100 West 5th Street, Williamstown, WV 26187. Telephone: 304 374 7761
Copyright © 2007 A Woman's View. All rights reserved.
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