With great enthusiasm, I announce my candidacy for the Board of Trustees for the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library. As a former higher education administrator, I understand the importance and value of a great library. I would be honored to serve as a trustee to support the library’s mission and advocate for policies and programs that support the needs of our community.
I have patronized the library since moving to Brookfield in 2016. I was new to the village and frequented the library to borrow books, participate in programs and attend meetings for various community groups. It was a great way to meet people. In 2017, I co-founded a local community group, and we often met at the library and hosted educational programs in the meeting spaces.
Since I was a child, my parents and teachers never missed an opportunity to tell me how special a library is. Where else can you go where you are always welcome, walk in with less than a dime in your pocket, and leave with wonderful treasures? The important of lifelong learning was instilled in me at a young age.
An institution such as the Brookfield Library is a tremendous resource for our residents, far greater than just a place to check out books, and truly a community center. The board of our library makes big, bold decisions to ensure the library is an inclusive space that welcomes all people and reflects the diversity of the Brookfield community and the world.
Throughout my adulthood and career, I have served on nonprofit boards and supported boards as a professional board secretary and board assistant. Currently, I am the manager of executive administration at NIQ, the leading global consumer intelligence company. Good governance is very important to me and something at which I excel. This makes me uniquely qualified to serve on the board.
I believe that great communities are cultivated by engaged residents. Here in Brookfield, I have volunteered for Project NICE, Share Food Share Love and I co-founded Indivisible Brookfield in 2017. I am also a volunteer homestay host for WorldChicago.
Outside of Brookfield, I have volunteered extensively for Housing Forward, American Greyhound and The Chicago Help Initiative. Active participation and service has always been meaningful to me.
I am excited for the future of the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library. Recently, I attended a listening session for the library’s strategic planning process. I appreciated the opportunity to share my thoughts and ideas, and was inspired by what I heard from other participants.
It is important to me that our library maintains equitable access to resources and materials for learners of all abilities, and provides resources, collections and events that are both diverse and inclusive.
Brookfield is fortunate to have the most dedicated, driven and talented library staff. I am eager, if elected, to work with our library director to ensure the Linda Sokol Francis Brookfield Library best meets the needs of our growing, evolving village.
Please vote for Mitzi Norton on April 4.
