Episode 9 - Mayor

Today we interview Jennifer Tooker, mayor of Westport, Connecticut. We learn how it is like to be positive and happy and also helping others in the community.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hello! Welcome to the Careers for Kids podcast for kids learn careers. This is Maxwell Valencia.

(00:11):
And this is Henry Morrison. And today we have Jen Tooker, the first electman of the town
of Westport, or in other words, the mayor. Hello Mrs. Tooker. Thank you for spending
your time to be on Careers for Kids. We hope we have a great interview. Now let's get started!
This is great to be with you both. Thanks Maxwell. Thanks Henry for having me. And here

(00:34):
you are in my office. So this is just going to be great. This is crazy for us. Okay, so
Maxwell's going to start us off with a question. And tell us what you currently do. Sure. So
as you said in my introduction, I am the first select woman of Westport, Connecticut, otherwise
known as the mayor. So everybody from police chief Foti Koskinis, all the way through to

(01:02):
our conservation director, Colin Kelly, and all the way through to our Department of Public
Works director, Pete Rackiewicz, they all report to me. And together, we all run the
town. We make sure that the roads are clear and nicely paved. We make sure that when you

(01:23):
have an emergency, the fire or the police or the EMS crew show up. We make sure that
our parks stay beautiful and our beaches stay beautiful. And so all the things that require
running a town. That's what I do. That's awesome. With a bunch of really great people here in
town hall. It's crazy that you do it like that. Can you just tell me more about your

(01:44):
career? How did you get to this? Sure. So I my my first career for the first 25 years
was actually in in business in corporate America. I know. Yeah. So I lived in New York and Chicago
and London with a business career and then moved here about 15 years ago for my for for

(02:12):
that career and then immediately got involved in local local politics and local elected
boards and commissions. I decided since I knew I was going to be here, I have three
kids. My husband and I moved here, like I said, 15 years ago, and we knew we were going
to live here for a long time. And I decided I wanted to get involved with the community.

(02:36):
And I and then I served on a couple of other boards and commissions locally before I was
elected for select woman. And what I loved about the work is that I was able to really
make a difference in my own community right here for my kids, for my neighbors, for my
family, for my friends. The things I do every day touch the lives of all the people I care

(02:57):
about. And so I thought it was just a really great way to give back to your community.
What part of your job do you enjoy the most and dislike the most? Oh, gosh, the part I
love the most is in this job, I am with people all day long. Oh, I would love that. Right.
Me too. I totally love that. I'm a complete extrovert. I'm a complete people person. So

(03:19):
my favorite part of the job is that that's what I do all day long is listen to people
meet with people, hear their concerns, hear what they love about the town and think about
things we can do better. So that's my favorite part of the job. Oh, my least favorite part
of the job. I don't know. I don't I don't know that I have a least favorite part of

(03:46):
the job. I feel really, really lucky to be in this job. And I feel so grateful for the
opportunity. It's amazing. It's good to love your job. It is I wake up every single day
full of energy. Because I like it so much. I really do. Yeah, I would love to have a
job that I love. You will. Yeah. That's why you guys are doing this podcast, too, right?

(04:07):
People can get a good idea of all the jobs that are out there. And they can think about
what would make them really happy. Right? Yeah. So was this the dream job you made yourself
when you were a kid? So when I was a kid, I wanted to be a professional athlete. Don't

(04:27):
ask me what sport I just thought it would be so cool to be a professional athlete. But
yes, as I got older, this absolutely became my dream job. Something that I could, like
I said, something I can do where I'm working with people all the time, where I'm solving
problems for people all the time, and where I'm making things just a little bit better.

(04:49):
That's the dream job for me. Like who were your main idols when you were young? So my
main idols were my parents, actually. My mom worked full time until she retired at age
70. And when I was young, that was not necessarily a thing that moms did. So she was my idol

(05:12):
from that standpoint. I saw how much she worked both inside the house and outside the household.
And my dad, my dad, if I think I like people, my dad was the ultimate people person. There
wasn't a person he ever met that he couldn't find something in common with and talk to.
And so, and he was very community minded. He did a lot of volunteering in the community

(05:35):
in which I grew up. And I always thought that was he always made time to do that. So I always
thought that was really, really, really pretty cool. So they were my idols growing up.
And I can see how extroverted you are. You're so happy and smiling. You're nice to us.
Well, it's fun to have you guys in the office. I'm actually very honored to be asked to do

(05:56):
this. So thank you.
We're honored to do this to you too.
Oh, great. Thank you.
So like, why did you pick this job? I mean, I know you were talking about how you're extroverted.
I don't know. Like, I kind of understand somewhat, but can you tell me more about that?
Sure. So what I love about the job, like I said, is that I deal with people all day long.

(06:18):
But the other thing that I do in this job is I solve problems all day long, right? Residents
who are unhappy about things or business owners who are worried about things or people who
just want to have their opinions heard and understood. And so I love the problem solving

(06:39):
part of this job. That's what actually also really makes me happy. And I think that it
gives you really feel good when you can talk to somebody, you can hear what they're concerned
about and then you can actually do something about it. Right. It's and then you know, they
walk away feeling, feeling heard and feeling proud of their community. Right. So I think

(07:02):
that's a pretty that's a that's that's a really cool position to be in to be able to help
people. Yeah. And what was like the most biggest, like, high of your entire career? Oh, gosh,
the big the biggest high of my career. Oh, my heavens. Well, I would say certainly the

(07:23):
biggest high of my career in this line of work was being elected mayor and for select
women in November of twenty twenty one. That was the high just that night where you knew
that the the votes were in and that I had won the race and that I was going to have
the privilege and the honor of being the mayor of the first selectman of the town. That was

(07:47):
definitely the highlight of this of my career in this line of work for sure. I can get like
I can get why it's like such a guy like I say, I was running for mayor. Then I was elected.
I go like crazy. I'd be jumping up and down. I was jumping up and down a lot. And I had

(08:10):
my two of my three kids there with me that night. And it was super fun. Yeah. And so
many people who I care about were there to support me, regardless of what was going to
happen. They were there to support me and second select woman Andrea Moore, who is my
is my running mate and the second select woman. So the two of us got elected that night and
it was a really exciting evening. And since then, we've we've been working really hard.

(08:34):
But it's great. That's awesome. What were you doing for this? So before this, I was
I was the second select woman. So I was the deputy mayor, so to speak. And before that,
I was on the board of finance, which is the which is the board in town that makes all
the decisions around money. And before that, I was on the board of Ed, which makes all

(08:57):
the decisions about your schools. Yeah. Right. So and before that, I was working, like I
said, in business and corporate America for a reinsurance company. Not sure that I can
we insure insurance companies. So yeah, a financial transaction. So that's what I did

(09:18):
for 25 years before I got into this line of work. Yeah. What are the biggest challenges
that you think can be solved by our generation that you want to solve for you? So I think
your generation are going to be awesome leaders. And I think what you are going to do that

(09:40):
we are not doing a very good job of right now, my generation is not doing a very good
job of is I think you guys are going to know and understand how important it is to listen
to people and to work with people and to build relationships with people and to really make

(10:02):
sure that the decisions you're making take everybody's opinion into account. And so I
think your generation is going to bring that leadership style back. I'm trying to, but
I think it's I think that your generation is going to bring that leadership style back
because that's going to be the only way you're going to be able to tackle the important things

(10:23):
like the future of education in the country, climate change, right? You know, basically
making sure that we have allies across the globe that have our backs and that no one
understands what's important about democracy. Those are all huge, huge things that are going

(10:45):
to be issues for us for years and years to come. The only way you're going to ever make
any headway in making any progress on any of those issues is if you know how to be leaders,
leaders who listen and who know how to work with people.
And let's say someone listening to this podcast really wants to follow in your first letters

(11:07):
in your careers. What would you tell him or her?
I would say dream big. I would say dream big. Whatever you want to be, go ahead and dream
about it. Get to know and understand more about the job. Come in like you guys have
done. Come in and meet with me and ask me about my day and ask me about the work I do

(11:34):
and start to really get to know and understand the job and then dream big. There's nothing
standing in your way for you guys to do what you want to do now and when you get older.
Absolutely nothing standing in your way. I like that.
That's true. That's really good advice in general. Not just for kids, but just for everybody.

(11:58):
For everybody. Yeah.
What is your main life advice? I mean, as that kids listen to this podcast.
Like main life advice, your biggest life advice, like the most biggest life advice I've ever
said. I don't know how to explain it.
You might think this is a little bit weird, but I think smiling and laughter is probably

(12:26):
the best thing you can do in life to make sure you have a positive view on the world
and to make sure you always remember what does make you happy, what does make you smile.
And I think that attitude is contagious. And I think when people are happy and they're

(12:47):
smiling, they do their best work. They make their best friends. They can do things that
they never thought they could do because they feel empowered and happy. And so I would say
keep a smile on your face and make sure you remember how to laugh all the time.
That's not a weird thing. That's actually pretty cool. I like that.

(13:09):
You think so? I smile a lot.
I do too. I do too. And I feel kind of bad because it's already over. And thank you so
much Mrs. Trippi for allowing us to interview you. I'm sure so many kids will definitely
be inspired by this amazing interview with you.
To whoever is listening, thanks for listening to the Greatest for Kids podcast. Hope you
enjoyed this episode and we'll see you in the next one. Bye!