Who Is Stephanie Marshall?

Why I’m running for City-County Council

I didn’t wake up one morning and decide I wanted to be a politician.

My journey started much more simply: I showed up.

A few years after my husband and I married, we moved our growing family into Brendon Park, a neighborhood that already held special memories for both of us. Shortly after moving in, I received a notice about an upcoming neighborhood meeting. I went because I wanted to meet my neighbors, understand what was happening around us, and learn more about the place we now called home. That meeting changed the direction of my life.

The Brendon Park Civic Association was looking for new board members, and I volunteered to serve. I became vice president in 2017 having never served on a board before. So I did what I have learned to do whenever I don’t understand something: I became a student.

I listened.

Residents were concerned about speeding, particularly on Moonlight Drive. They worried about children playing outside and standing at bus stops. They were frustrated by litter, neglected spaces and a feeling that some concerns simply weren’t being addressed.

And I learned something important: when you listen beyond the frustration and urgency, there is real wisdom in what residents are saying. Most people aren’t simply complaining. They are telling you what they need to thrive in place and often, they already have ideas about how to get there.

So we got to work.

We strengthened communication, created a neighborhood website and newsletter, pursued grants, installed neighborhood signage, organized cleanups and began setting annual priorities based on what residents told us mattered most. I also learned that leadership means being willing to do your part before asking someone else to do theirs. If documenting every sidewalk needing repair would help move a conversation forward, I grabbed my camera. If I didn’t understand which agency handled an issue, I started making calls. If one door didn’t open, I knocked on more.

But over time, I learned something else. There are limits to what even the most dedicated neighborhood leaders can accomplish alone.

Major infrastructure, redevelopment and long-term investment decisions can take years. They involve budgets, agencies, planning processes and conversations that often begin long before residents know they are happening. The moment I began to understand that neighborhood advocacy wasn’t enough was when I realized there were conversations happening in rooms long before the community was invited to show up. That realization changed me. I began educating myself about development, city processes and how decisions move from ideas to investments. And the more I learned, the more convinced I became that residents deserve representatives who listen early, communicate throughout the process, ask hard questions and report back.

I’m running for City-County Council because I want my children—and every family in District 9—to have the opportunity to build the kind of memories my husband and I built here: good schools, supportive neighbors, places to play, strong community connections and neighborhoods where people can thrive and age in place.

I still believe what the late Harry McFarland taught me years ago: no matter how passionately we may advocate individually, the mission ultimately has to be about us, we and everyone.

That is why I’m running.

A message to leave with you...

“Our communities should not simply be invited into the room after decisions have been made. Residents deserve a voice, a seat at the table, and a partner willing to listen, learn, communicate and work alongside them.”

— Stephanie Marshall