September 17, 2021 • 26 mins
What is like to be the Mayor of Elk Grove, California? Over the past 21 years, a lot has changed in Sacramento County’s second largest city. In this debut episode, hosts Jodie Moreno and Kristyn Laurence will talk to Elk Grove’s first Mayor, and California Assembly Member, Jim Cooper, and our current Mayor, Bobbie Singh-Allen. We’ll also give a rundown of coming attractions as events of all kinds begin making a comeback following the pandemic.
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Unknown (00:01):
Welcome to Elk Grove Citycast, the podcast about Elk
Grove available anywhere you getpodcasts. In each episode, city
staff will dive into hot topics,share what's happening in the
city, and introduce you to someof the people making a
difference in this place thatyou call home. We hope you enjoy
this episode of Elk Grove Citycast.
Jodie Moreno (00:22):
Hi, and thanks so much for joining us for the very
first podcast for the city ofElk Grove. I'm your host, Jodie
Moreno. And I'm currently thecommunity events and special
projects coordinator for thecity, which is kind of just a
fancy title for an events gal.
And I have a partner in crimehere with me.
Kristyn Laurence (00:38):
Hi, I'm Kristyn Laurence, the public
affairs manager at the city. Sobasically the communications
girl. And we're so excited tofind one more way to connect
with all of you. I've beenwanting to start a podcast for
years now, so to see thisfinally coming to fruition is
amazing.
Jodie Moreno (00:54):
Yeah it is. and Kristyn has a lot more years in
government than I do and I relyon her help for just about
everything. So it makes perfectsense for us to be together on
this podcast bringing you allthings Elk Grove.
Kristyn Laurence (01:05):
Yeah, and here's the cool thing, much to
the surprise of many, governmentisn't always stuffy. This
podcast gives us a chance tointroduce you to what we do at
the city in a fun and relaxingway. You get to meet some folks
from city hall, from thecommunity, and more without the
formality of say, a city councilmeeting.
Jodie Moreno (01:23):
Oh, for sure.
Plus, we get to share fun and
quirky things like (01:25):
Did you know that Elk Grove started out as a
stage stop? Or that there's 100parks in Elk Grove you can
visit? More importantly, do youknow who the very first mayor of
Elk Grove was? No. Well, you'reabout to find out as we get a
chance to chat with him or herand our current Mayor, Bobbie
Singh-Allen right now. Allright, Bobbie, what is it like
(01:49):
to be elk Grove's Mayor?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (01:51):
Honestly it is such a tremendous honor and a
privilege to represent the citythat I've lived in for 30 years.
So I'm just filled with immensepride and tremendous honor. I
raise my kids here, as you know,they both started in elementary
school here. My family liveshere. My parents and my brother
live here. So this is home. Sobeing able to, you know, to be
(02:13):
the mayor of my hometown that Ilove so much fills me with pride
and joy. I'm sure you feel thattoo, Jim.
Jim Cooper (02:21):
I do. I've been in Elk Grove 32 years now, which is
a long time. When I moved there,there was no Laguna Boulevard at
all. And if you wanted to go onI-5, you'd go on Hood-Franklin
road. That was the first exit.
So I've seen Elk Grove grow alot. And it's a great place to
live and raise a family.
Jodie Moreno (02:37):
Oh, geez, Jim, about what was it like to be the
very first mayor of Elk Grove?
And how does that differ?
Jim Cooper (02:43):
You know what, there's no blueprint for being a
brand new city right away. Andwhat was weird, in the span of
10 years in Sacramento County,you had three cities incorporate
first Citrus Heights, thenElk Grove, and then Rancho.
hat had never been heard ofin California before. And a lot
of it was over public safetyaw enforcement. People wanted
to feel safe. And that was aig not that they weren't safe.
(03:05):
ut resources were being ued elsewhe
Bobbie Singh-Allen (03:08):
And I was proud to vote for you, Jim as
that first mayor. Thank you.
Thank you. You served ourcommunity really well.
Jim Cooper (03:15):
Mayor is tough. I mean, Bobby knows. I mean, you
get pulled in a lot of differentdirections. You're constantly
on. And Bobby still has a fulltime job she does and a lot of
people don't know that. She'sgot to pay bills and, you know,
continue to raise her family. Soshe's got a full time job, then
you do City Council also. It'stough. You think about it,
you're working 40 hours a week,and then in the evenings and
(03:37):
weekends, you're doing thebusiness of the mayor. So it's a
tough job.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (03:41):
Yeah, I appreciate that. It's so true.
All of us on the Council havefull time jobs. And it's a
balancing act, but we're socommitted to public service. And
that's one of the things I'malso really proud of, it's just
we have such a strong team. I'mhonored that you know, they're
all friends, which is uh, youknow, we have that dream team
scenario, which is very rare.
Kristyn Laurence (04:02):
So you're both really well known in Elk Grove.
What's it like to go to thegrocery stores? People stop you
in the aisles? What's that?
Like?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (04:10):
Oh, goodness, yeah. Costco is the is
the one that you know, probablyhas the most fan club I would
say. I get recognizedeverywhere. It's still a lot to
get used to. But Costco on anygiven visit, it's about five to
eight is what I've counted. AndI remember one time, Coop was
there too. Of course he gets itmore than I do, because he's the
(04:32):
real celebrity out here. Butit's just it's it's different.
The notion of privacy is gone.
Jim Cooper (04:38):
Let me ask you this Mayor, when you're there, like I
don't got to do my hair when Igo out and go to Costco. No. You
got to do your hair and makesure you look good for your
constituents. I mean, that'sright. Go out like back in the
day, right?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (04:51):
No, no, no more sloppy sweat pants and all
I always have to be mostly puttogether. There is no casual
Fridays for me. I've got to lookpresentable and carry, you're
absolutely right.
Jodie Moreno (05:03):
I think Kristyn and I are glad we're behind the
scenes then.
Kristyn Laurence (05:08):
So there's 21 years between when Jim became
our mayor and Bobbie now in ourmayor's chair. What motivated
each of you is probably prettydifferent things, I would think.
But what motivated you to becomemayor? And has it been what you
expected it to be?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (05:27):
It's like cucoo. First, as our first
mayor,
Jim Cooper (05:29):
I think it's public service. Bobbie spent a number
of years on the school board. Ispent some time at the sheriff's
department and just both publicservants in really liking it in
Elk Grove. I mean, this, theschools out there, the parks, a
lot of good things about ElkGrove, and you want to continue
to serve the public. You don'tdo it to get rich, but you want
to the community you live in,and you're invested in that. So
(05:51):
just making a change and makingit better. And it's not easy.
Think about Elk Grove, secondbiggest city in the entire
region. 22 cities and sixcounties. Elk Grove is second
only the city of Sacramento, anda lot of two income families, a
lot of government workers forthe state, the county, the city,
it's also it's a threat. It's athriving, vibrant community. So
(06:12):
it's a lot of work.
Kristyn Laurence (06:13):
Is it what you expected it to be? Jim, when you
were in that role?
Jim Cooper (06:17):
I never had any idea. You know, you're hiring a
city manager, you're hiring acity attorney, you have no idea.
There's no blueprint, there's nogame plan. And I never been
elected. So you're trying to dothe best job you can. And it is
tough. You're hiring people, wewere going to old 711 converted
711 that was later on convertedto a medical device facility.
(06:38):
They sold medical devices. So itwas it was tough getting up and
running. But we had a greatstaff and it did a good job.
And, you know, we heavily reliedupon staff.
Jodie Moreno (06:47):
When you set the tone kind of like what was gonna
happen moving forward.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (06:51):
Yeah, he did a great job laying the
foundation.
Jim Cooper (06:53):
It was it was a team effort. Like Bobbie said, you
can't do it by yourself. You'vegot to work good with your
colleagues.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (06:58):
The advantage I had when I ran for
mayor is that I wasn't electedfor over eight years serving on
the Elk Grove Unified SchoolDistrict, which as you all know,
is the largest NorthernCalifornia and the fifth largest
in the state of California. Sowe cover all growing parts of
South Sacramento, theunincorporated areas, and as far
east as Rancho Cordova. Sohaving that governance training
(07:21):
really played a long way. So Ireally felt as though once
elected mayor, while the issuesmight be different, the process
and governance is definitely thesame. And I wasn't an unknown.
So I just was able to rely onhaving great relationships with
my colleagues, with our regionalleaders like Assemblymember
Cooper, which really helped interms of governing, which is the
(07:46):
most important role that themayor plays is governing. You
preside over those city councilmeetings and making sure that
you collaborate, but you alsospeak on behalf of the city.
those are those are skills thatI was able to bring through my
eight years serving on those onthe school board
Jim Cooper (08:02):
Bobbie's being humble because school district
is a lot more intensive, a lotmore work. I mean, you've got
how many schools in Elk Grove inyour district? 67 schools,
graduations, I mean, there's alot time, the level of
involvement is much moresignificant. You don't see
council, and just there's somuch you've got to be there, you
(08:22):
got to be the graduations. Andyou have to deal with the issue.
So a lot more reading. So
Bobbie Singh-Allen (08:27):
Oh, yeah, there was a lot more reading
that thank you for that. Idefinitely found myself.
Although I'm pretty busy asmayor, I'm not gonna lie, but
that's just my personality, I'msort of that type A personality.
And I, you know, I want to rollup my sleeves and get to work
and really do a good jobrepresenting our city. But in
terms of the hours that arededicated, it can be as much as
(08:50):
or as little as you put into it.
So you get what you put into it.
And I'm putting in a lot like onthe Fourth of July, I just did a
ride along with our, with ourfire chief four and a half hours
that I could have spent with myfamily. But I thought it was
really important to be out inthe field and see what our
firefighters experienced on adaily basis on their most busy
night. You know, going out tothe school sites was something I
(09:11):
loved doing. And I did that veryregularly. Now I get to do that
visiting small businessesmeeting with different
stakeholders. So you know, sameprocess, but still staying busy.
But you know, we had we hadgreat leaders before me like our
very first mayor,
Jodie Moreno (09:27):
when you just talked about all the different
things that you're doing. So I'msure the expectation of what you
thought it was going to be isvery different. And this is
going to be a hard question toanswer. But what do you think is
the most important skill youneed to have as a mayor?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (09:39):
so you know, the most important skill is also
one of the reasons I ran to bemayor. And that is being able to
collaborate and understand thatit's this is service above self
and being able to be a goodlistener. But to be able to work
with your team. You're just oneperson but this is a team and
for your team to be strong. Youneed to not make this role about
(10:02):
yourself. And so one of theskills that I bring to the table
is much like, on my eight yearsas a school board member, I
value different points of view,and stakeholder engagement. So
that unifying voice, but justlistening, you know, I gave you
several little skills in there.
But all of those go towardscommunity. It's not about me,
it's about being arepresentative of the community,
(10:24):
lifting their voices and theirneeds.
Jim Cooper (10:28):
I think, you know, like Bobbie said earlier, is
being a good listener, andwilling to work with people in
compromise, you can't get itdone. I'll be honest, I loved
being on City Council. And thebig difference between city
council and legislature, you'reone of five, and you can work
with folks to get things done.
And you can do it very quickly,versus the legislature deal with
two houses, 120 members,multiple committees in both
(10:50):
houses, and hopefully thegovernor signs your bill. So,
City Council's much more able toreact more quickly, and pivot if
they need to, than stategovernment. And it was really a
good time you had an instantimpact. Citizens are your
community members. So it wasvery fulfilling. And just trying
to make a difference. Because welive there, we want to, we want
the best. What's best for thecommunity.
Jodie Moreno (11:13):
Yeah, I know, you talked about you know, it's not
about self. But how hard isthat? Because you really have to
have a thick skin in politics inany position. And you say it's
not about self, but that's hard.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (11:25):
Yeah, we both know that so well. But
yeah, you do need thick skin inpolitics. But at the end of the
day, I go to sleep knowing thatI am truly fighting hard for my
community that you know it thisis not for everyone. Politics.
But at the same time, we havesuch a tremendous passion for
(11:45):
making a difference in the livesof our residents. And so that's
the driving force all of thegood outweigh any of the
darkness that comes along theway in politics.
Jim Cooper (11:54):
Yeah. The big thing is like said, you have
detractors, I don't care howmuch good you do. You have
detractors, and with socialmedia, they can get online and
say whatever they want about youor come to council meetings, and
you just got to have thick skinand just, you know, just kee
on doing what's right, yo're hopefully you're doing the r
ght thing, and you're makinit better. And that's really
(12:15):
hat it comes down to. But yo're never gonna please everyone.
And you just can't if you wentome and dwelled on everything
hat was said about you negativly, you would never get anyt
ing accomplished. So I agreeith the mayor, it's not for eve
Bobbie Singh-Allen (12:26):
That's right, having thick skin that
social media, you know, you havethese keyboard warriors who can
hide behind anonymous names. Butthe best thing you can do is use
you know yourself, you know thetruth. And the community for the
most part knows who you are andknow what you stand for. That's
why they elected you. So it'sreally about focusing on why
you're there. And that reallybeing the driving force and in
(12:48):
politics, haters are gonna hateso it's okay.
Kristyn Laurence (12:52):
True. I'm going to take Jim into the
wayback machine a little bitbecause this question is about
like, what was the most pressingissue you dealt with when you
stepped into the role of mayor?
and then, Bobbie, Now, you know,21 years later? You know,
there's there's probably somedifferent issues at play. But
I'd love to hear what kind ofstuff were you dealing with,Jim.
Jim Cooper (13:16):
When we started the city in 2000, the biggest thing
was hiring staff, he needed toget staff up and running. The
majority of California citiesare part-time councils. So on
our council, the originalCouncil, all five of us worked,
we had day jobs. So you heavilyrelied upon staff to give you
good information. So hiring thatcity manager, the city attorney,
(13:38):
the city clerk, and getting thatteam on board. And that was so
important, because like I said,staff can make you or break you.
I mean, you're not there, you'retaking time off and use vacation
time during the day to come andmeet with people and do things.
So, so very, very intensive. Butthat was probably the biggest
thing, getting adequate staff onboard. And it was a brand new
city. I mean, like I said, therewere bumps in the road, you
(14:01):
know, but it just took time.
Jodie Moreno (14:04):
Was there pushback for people that wanted to stay
pretty rural?
Jim Cooper (14:07):
There were people like I said you can't please
everyone. So it's one of thosethings you try and just do
what's good for most folks, andgo from there. But yeah, a lot
of pushback. Some folks didn'twant to become a city. They
wanted to be a county. I thinkthey're much better off as a
city now. They've got muchbetter services. And I think
(14:27):
it's just, it was a good thingto happen. It took three times.
Kristyn Laurence (14:30):
But it definitely worked. Back then. I
think our population was like50,000 people or thereabouts,
right? And now in 2021, we'reserving 178,000 people is what
I'd heard most recently. Whatkind of issues do you feel are
the most pressing for ourcouncil now Mayor?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (14:50):
Yeah, so you know, I was elected in such an
interesting time with COVID-19of my entire campaign was run
during the pandemic and I waselected during the pandemic. I'm
making, we're stillunfortunately, in a pandemic. So
the most pressing thing wasreally economic recovery, making
sure that our small businessescan survive and thrive, post
(15:11):
COVID. And our working familiesfeel they're supported, and
ave the resources to beuccessful. You know, I'm a
ormer board member for thelk Grove Food Bank, I know t
at their clientele went up, wht, six 700%, during COVID. And t
at those are alarming numbers.
So for me, you know, 21 ye
Jodie Moreno (15:28):
So you have lots of stuff going on. Now we took
rs later, it's you're still,ou know, have some overlapp
ng issues in affordable housingis still always very important
or our community. While it mayot have been pressing back, t
en it's definitely much mre pressing now, as the cost
of housing has just gone up. Andwe want to make sure that
ur working families, our teaches, our law enforcement officers,
(15:50):
or firefighters, can afford to lve here not only work here, but
to be able to live inur communities. Jobs, growth
is always important, not jst bringing in our sm
ll businesses, but some maor employment sectors into
ur city. That's something that'm very passionate about. I sit
on the statewide board for viit California. So I see the r
le that you know that even toursm plays and other economic driv
(16:13):
ng factors for lifting communitis. So I want to see Elk Grove
eally be able to thrive with nejobs and growth. Public Saf
ty is always important for us, fr our residents. And I was so
proud that our first mayor pavd the way to not only having o
r own police department, buteally working closely with o
(16:33):
r CSD, with our firefightes. And public safety remains one
of the focal points and why peope move to Elk Grove. They
feel safe. There's good jobs hee. There's great schools, th
re's great parks. And theof course transportation
nd traffic congestion. Those aways still rank very high. But I
m so proud of shout out to RTnd our new partnership that will
(16:55):
be able to address some of, at last some of, those challenges
with our new partnership withRT with great routes. And w
have a program where our studets k 12 have free bus passes, wh
ch will hopefully alleviate someof that traffic congestion. So
a shout out to RT and our new patner.
Jim in the wayback machine, nowwe're going to take you in the
(17:16):
time machine and ask you kind oflike what changes do you expect
to see in Elk Grove like overthe next 20 years or so?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (17:23):
Hopefully, we'll both still be alive.
Hopefully, we've paved the wayfor a vibrant community. You
know, we've always wanted anentertainment hub. And there's a
lot of progress being madetowards that working towards
that. Being able to haveaffordable housing will
hopefully we meet thosechallenges that we see. That
(17:46):
we've all worked together as ateam to really address those
shortages, that we haverepresentatives that truly have
the best interests of ourcommunity at heart. I hope that
those you know that mindsetneeds to always sustain and
continue 20, 30, 50 years fromnow that having a solid,
hopefully the mayor's office isthen by four years, at least not
every two years. So I don't haveto keep running at least at
(18:09):
least right now. That's a that'salways a challenge. But you
know, of course, thepartnerships with our school
district with our CSD, thosewill always remain important.
But I personally hope my kidschoose to live in Elk Grove and
can afford to live here andinvest here. And you know, this
is a great community. So there'sa lot of great things happening.
(18:31):
And I imagine our public safetyis going to continue strong as
long as we elect councils thatinvest in public safety.
Kristyn Laurence (18:36):
Yeah, as a representative for the region,
like Elk Grove is just a smallpart of your governing area
right now. How do you think ElkGrove will fare you know 20
years from now in the region?
Jim Cooper (18:48):
I think Elk Grove will fare good. Elk Grove's
doing good right now. And I'llbe honest, what I love the best
about Elk Grove is 15,000 kidsplaying sports. So it's just,
you know, from Laguna tomeadowview Road, just two miles
as the crow flies. And you havethe schools that are very
impacted Title One, freebreakfast, free lunch, free
dinner, no sports programs, noarts programs for kids, no
(19:11):
banks, no supermarkets. And youknow, the biggest US Soccer
League, the largest in thecountry, the largest Cal Ripken
baseball league west of theMississippi. I mean, you see a
lot of involvement in justballet dancing, and our kids are
engaged involved. And to me,that's what makes Elk Grove
beautiful. The parents areactive, it's tough. And I would
(19:35):
say if those kids in many of youhad those same opportunities,
their lives would probably bedramatically different. So a lot
of positives about Elk Grove andjust trying to have that effect
on the rest of the region. ButElk Groive has is a special
place and they have a lot to beproud of. I mean, we call the
high schools out there you a lotof championships, they've won in
a number of sports, and a lot ofactive pparent participation. So
(19:57):
and they'll grow we have a lotto be thankful for that. And the
mayor knows as a former schoolboard member, if you look at,
you know, three of the top 400high schools in California, are
in Elk Grove, you know, that'sFranklin and CO I mean, when you
start talking about Elk Grove,there's a lot of good things you
talk about.
Jodie Moreno (20:16):
When you talk about being an entertainment
hub, and we have so many newthings coming online, and some
really exciting things coming tothe city, I'd see us just keep
growing.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (20:23):
Oh absolutely, absolutely. And you
know, what Assemblymember,Cooper mentioned about that
connectedness with our, with ourwith our youth is so important,
and kudos to you Assemblymemberfor the money and the resources
that you brought for Elk GroveFood Bank, but for you being up
there, and advocating for ourcity, the food bank would not
(20:44):
have had a home. And you reallyplayed a key role in finding
those instrumental dollars. As aformer board member, we you
know, going back dozens ofyears, we didn't have a home, so
we've been moving place toplace. And thanks to you, they
Elk Grove food bank will willnow finally have a home.
Jim Cooper (21:03):
Yeah, I think everyone in Elk Grove really
cares, they want to do what'sbest for the food bank and the
needs they meet. It's justpeople are struggling right now.
With COVID unemployment, thecost of food going up, you know,
it could definitely be us if thefoot was on the other shoe. So a
lot to be thankful for. And thefood bank does a tremendous
job.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (21:23):
More investment in our community,
more investment in youth, forsure. I like what you said
there. That's when I see thatcontinue those partnerships are
nonprofits. As a mayor, I wantto continue to support them. You
know, homelessness is that isn'tis an issue. But that requires a
lot of regional collaboration.
And so that's where we havegreat partnerships with our
Board of Supervisors andAssemblymember. Cooper and
(21:46):
making sure that we're workingtogether to solve some of these
issues that impact allcommunities.
Jodie Moreno (21:52):
Well, before we end, is there anything else that
you want our listeners to know,even if it's personal about you,
or about our wonderful city, orabout serving Elk Grove?
Jim Cooper (22:02):
I'm just happy that that Bobbie's the mayor, it's
just having a good team therethat they all work together
cohesively. And just to reallymake Elk Grove great, I've lived
there 32 years, I've neverlooked back. I'm looking, I'm
gonna die in Elk Grove. And it'sa good place, a good vibe. And I
feel comfortable going outthere. And I just really love
what the city council is doing,and where they're headed to. So
(22:25):
I think there's a lot moreexcitement to come. So I'm gonna
sit back and enjoy the ride.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (22:30):
Thank you for that. And it's having strong
partnerships with at theassembly level or the Senate or
Congress member, of course, mycolleagues and our county
supervisors, for our city tocontinue thriving. It's having
those great partnerships. And Ilove this community. I've lived
here almost 30 years and plan toretire here. And I'm not going
to use the D word die here. Butit's a great place. And there's
(22:57):
many ways to serve. So anybodylistening wants to serve in our
community. It's not just beingan elected, where you need that
thicker skin that we talkedabout earlier, so many other
ways to serve, join boards andcommissions. Great way of having
your hands on role in shapingour community. We want outgrowth
to thrive with all of youparticipating. There's many ways
to join, reach out to any of usand we'll put you to work. But
(23:20):
this is a great community agreat place to call home and we
welcome everyone. Everyone has aseat at our table.
Jodie Moreno (23:26):
Awesome. Thank you guys both so much for taking
time to be on our first everpodcast for the city of Elk
Grove. We're so excited for allof our listeners and for the
future of our city.
That was so great to talk withthem and see how the city's
changed over the years. I mean,I still find it so fascinating
the whole government process andall that goes into keeping the
(23:48):
city going.
Kristyn Laurence (23:49):
Yeah, and it's also pretty interesting to hear
how they're tackling trips tothe Costco.
Jodie Moreno (23:53):
I can't even imagine. Alright, let's talk
about what's going on aroundtown before we close this
podcast out. As everyone knows,it's been a rough year for
happenings and events withCOVID. And we've seen so many of
our nonprofit partners have tocancel their yearly fundraising
events, along with our partnersover at CSD having to postpone
recreational sports and events.
Even here at the city we'vereally had to reimagine our
(24:15):
events over and over again.
Kristyn Laurence (24:20):
Yeah, but everyone we work with has gotten
really creative and finding waysto bring something to our
residents even if it means youhave to change it up a bit. If
you haven't driven through oldtown in a while we just reopened
our newly renovated Old TownPlaza and there's the monthly
food truck mania events fromSactoMoFo the first Wednesday of
every month, plus everyThursday, you can head over to
(24:41):
District56 still and check outthe Neighborhood Market.
Jodie Moreno (24:44):
Love that market and you know what? Coming up
this fall there's uncorked anduncapped at the end of September
at the Plaza, which is a greatbeer and wine event from our
friends over at Explore ElkGrove. We've also got the peace
and love music review onSeptember 24 from the Elk Grove
Arts Commission. Lookingforward, we're cautiously
optimistic that the GiantPumpkin Festival is coming back
(25:05):
the first weekend in October.
Kristyn Laurence (25:07):
That's true, these things are all subject to
change, and we're keeping ourfingers crossed that though they
all happen. But you can find allthese events and more on our
website at ElkGrovecity.org oryou can follow us on social.
Jodie Moreno (25:18):
Alright. I felt like this was a great first
attempt at a podcast, right?
Kristyn Laurence (25:22):
Absolutely. My kids would be so impressed with
me right now. They would sayO...M...G Mom, you completed a
whole podcast? It's amazing.
Jodie Moreno (25:32):
It is amazing. So we're gonna do it again then.
Right? Absolutely great. Becauseyou know what? We're excited to
share our city in case youcouldn't tell with all of you.
Unknown (25:42):
Thank you for listening to Elk Grove City cast. Listen
to the next episode. For moreinterviews and happenings around
town. You can find Elk GroveCity cast anywhere you get
podcasts. Make sure to like andfollow the city of Elk Grove on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagramfor the latest news and events.
Have an idea for a futureepisode. Send us a note. Email
(26:04):
Public Affairs at Elk Grovecity.org
Welcome to Elk Grove Citycast, the podcast about Elk
Grove available anywhere you getpodcasts. In each episode, city
staff will dive into hot topics,share what's happening in the
city, and introduce you to someof the people making a
difference in this place thatyou call home. We hope you enjoy
this episode of Elk Grove Citycast.
Jodie Moreno (00:22):
Hi, and thanks so much for joining us for the very
first podcast for the city ofElk Grove. I'm your host, Jodie
Moreno. And I'm currently thecommunity events and special
projects coordinator for thecity, which is kind of just a
fancy title for an events gal.
And I have a partner in crimehere with me.
Kristyn Laurence (00:38):
Hi, I'm Kristyn Laurence, the public
affairs manager at the city. Sobasically the communications
girl. And we're so excited tofind one more way to connect
with all of you. I've beenwanting to start a podcast for
years now, so to see thisfinally coming to fruition is
amazing.
Jodie Moreno (00:54):
Yeah it is. and Kristyn has a lot more years in
government than I do and I relyon her help for just about
everything. So it makes perfectsense for us to be together on
this podcast bringing you allthings Elk Grove.
Kristyn Laurence (01:05):
Yeah, and here's the cool thing, much to
the surprise of many, governmentisn't always stuffy. This
podcast gives us a chance tointroduce you to what we do at
the city in a fun and relaxingway. You get to meet some folks
from city hall, from thecommunity, and more without the
formality of say, a city councilmeeting.
Jodie Moreno (01:23):
Oh, for sure.
Plus, we get to share fun and
quirky things like (01:25):
Did you know that Elk Grove started out as a
stage stop? Or that there's 100parks in Elk Grove you can
visit? More importantly, do youknow who the very first mayor of
Elk Grove was? No. Well, you'reabout to find out as we get a
chance to chat with him or herand our current Mayor, Bobbie
Singh-Allen right now. Allright, Bobbie, what is it like
(01:49):
to be elk Grove's Mayor?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (01:51):
Honestly it is such a tremendous honor and a
privilege to represent the citythat I've lived in for 30 years.
So I'm just filled with immensepride and tremendous honor. I
raise my kids here, as you know,they both started in elementary
school here. My family liveshere. My parents and my brother
live here. So this is home. Sobeing able to, you know, to be
(02:13):
the mayor of my hometown that Ilove so much fills me with pride
and joy. I'm sure you feel thattoo, Jim.
Jim Cooper (02:21):
I do. I've been in Elk Grove 32 years now, which is
a long time. When I moved there,there was no Laguna Boulevard at
all. And if you wanted to go onI-5, you'd go on Hood-Franklin
road. That was the first exit.
So I've seen Elk Grove grow alot. And it's a great place to
live and raise a family.
Jodie Moreno (02:37):
Oh, geez, Jim, about what was it like to be the
very first mayor of Elk Grove?
And how does that differ?
Jim Cooper (02:43):
You know what, there's no blueprint for being a
brand new city right away. Andwhat was weird, in the span of
10 years in Sacramento County,you had three cities incorporate
first Citrus Heights, thenElk Grove, and then Rancho.
hat had never been heard ofin California before. And a lot
of it was over public safetyaw enforcement. People wanted
to feel safe. And that was aig not that they weren't safe.
(03:05):
ut resources were being ued elsewhe
Bobbie Singh-Allen (03:08):
And I was proud to vote for you, Jim as
that first mayor. Thank you.
Thank you. You served ourcommunity really well.
Jim Cooper (03:15):
Mayor is tough. I mean, Bobby knows. I mean, you
get pulled in a lot of differentdirections. You're constantly
on. And Bobby still has a fulltime job she does and a lot of
people don't know that. She'sgot to pay bills and, you know,
continue to raise her family. Soshe's got a full time job, then
you do City Council also. It'stough. You think about it,
you're working 40 hours a week,and then in the evenings and
(03:37):
weekends, you're doing thebusiness of the mayor. So it's a
tough job.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (03:41):
Yeah, I appreciate that. It's so true.
All of us on the Council havefull time jobs. And it's a
balancing act, but we're socommitted to public service. And
that's one of the things I'malso really proud of, it's just
we have such a strong team. I'mhonored that you know, they're
all friends, which is uh, youknow, we have that dream team
scenario, which is very rare.
Kristyn Laurence (04:02):
So you're both really well known in Elk Grove.
What's it like to go to thegrocery stores? People stop you
in the aisles? What's that?
Like?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (04:10):
Oh, goodness, yeah. Costco is the is
the one that you know, probablyhas the most fan club I would
say. I get recognizedeverywhere. It's still a lot to
get used to. But Costco on anygiven visit, it's about five to
eight is what I've counted. AndI remember one time, Coop was
there too. Of course he gets itmore than I do, because he's the
(04:32):
real celebrity out here. Butit's just it's it's different.
The notion of privacy is gone.
Jim Cooper (04:38):
Let me ask you this Mayor, when you're there, like I
don't got to do my hair when Igo out and go to Costco. No. You
got to do your hair and makesure you look good for your
constituents. I mean, that'sright. Go out like back in the
day, right?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (04:51):
No, no, no more sloppy sweat pants and all
I always have to be mostly puttogether. There is no casual
Fridays for me. I've got to lookpresentable and carry, you're
absolutely right.
Jodie Moreno (05:03):
I think Kristyn and I are glad we're behind the
scenes then.
Kristyn Laurence (05:08):
So there's 21 years between when Jim became
our mayor and Bobbie now in ourmayor's chair. What motivated
each of you is probably prettydifferent things, I would think.
But what motivated you to becomemayor? And has it been what you
expected it to be?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (05:27):
It's like cucoo. First, as our first
mayor,
Jim Cooper (05:29):
I think it's public service. Bobbie spent a number
of years on the school board. Ispent some time at the sheriff's
department and just both publicservants in really liking it in
Elk Grove. I mean, this, theschools out there, the parks, a
lot of good things about ElkGrove, and you want to continue
to serve the public. You don'tdo it to get rich, but you want
to the community you live in,and you're invested in that. So
(05:51):
just making a change and makingit better. And it's not easy.
Think about Elk Grove, secondbiggest city in the entire
region. 22 cities and sixcounties. Elk Grove is second
only the city of Sacramento, anda lot of two income families, a
lot of government workers forthe state, the county, the city,
it's also it's a threat. It's athriving, vibrant community. So
(06:12):
it's a lot of work.
Kristyn Laurence (06:13):
Is it what you expected it to be? Jim, when you
were in that role?
Jim Cooper (06:17):
I never had any idea. You know, you're hiring a
city manager, you're hiring acity attorney, you have no idea.
There's no blueprint, there's nogame plan. And I never been
elected. So you're trying to dothe best job you can. And it is
tough. You're hiring people, wewere going to old 711 converted
711 that was later on convertedto a medical device facility.
(06:38):
They sold medical devices. So itwas it was tough getting up and
running. But we had a greatstaff and it did a good job.
And, you know, we heavily reliedupon staff.
Jodie Moreno (06:47):
When you set the tone kind of like what was gonna
happen moving forward.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (06:51):
Yeah, he did a great job laying the
foundation.
Jim Cooper (06:53):
It was it was a team effort. Like Bobbie said, you
can't do it by yourself. You'vegot to work good with your
colleagues.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (06:58):
The advantage I had when I ran for
mayor is that I wasn't electedfor over eight years serving on
the Elk Grove Unified SchoolDistrict, which as you all know,
is the largest NorthernCalifornia and the fifth largest
in the state of California. Sowe cover all growing parts of
South Sacramento, theunincorporated areas, and as far
east as Rancho Cordova. Sohaving that governance training
(07:21):
really played a long way. So Ireally felt as though once
elected mayor, while the issuesmight be different, the process
and governance is definitely thesame. And I wasn't an unknown.
So I just was able to rely onhaving great relationships with
my colleagues, with our regionalleaders like Assemblymember
Cooper, which really helped interms of governing, which is the
(07:46):
most important role that themayor plays is governing. You
preside over those city councilmeetings and making sure that
you collaborate, but you alsospeak on behalf of the city.
those are those are skills thatI was able to bring through my
eight years serving on those onthe school board
Jim Cooper (08:02):
Bobbie's being humble because school district
is a lot more intensive, a lotmore work. I mean, you've got
how many schools in Elk Grove inyour district? 67 schools,
graduations, I mean, there's alot time, the level of
involvement is much moresignificant. You don't see
council, and just there's somuch you've got to be there, you
(08:22):
got to be the graduations. Andyou have to deal with the issue.
So a lot more reading. So
Bobbie Singh-Allen (08:27):
Oh, yeah, there was a lot more reading
that thank you for that. Idefinitely found myself.
Although I'm pretty busy asmayor, I'm not gonna lie, but
that's just my personality, I'msort of that type A personality.
And I, you know, I want to rollup my sleeves and get to work
and really do a good jobrepresenting our city. But in
terms of the hours that arededicated, it can be as much as
(08:50):
or as little as you put into it.
So you get what you put into it.
And I'm putting in a lot like onthe Fourth of July, I just did a
ride along with our, with ourfire chief four and a half hours
that I could have spent with myfamily. But I thought it was
really important to be out inthe field and see what our
firefighters experienced on adaily basis on their most busy
night. You know, going out tothe school sites was something I
(09:11):
loved doing. And I did that veryregularly. Now I get to do that
visiting small businessesmeeting with different
stakeholders. So you know, sameprocess, but still staying busy.
But you know, we had we hadgreat leaders before me like our
very first mayor,
Jodie Moreno (09:27):
when you just talked about all the different
things that you're doing. So I'msure the expectation of what you
thought it was going to be isvery different. And this is
going to be a hard question toanswer. But what do you think is
the most important skill youneed to have as a mayor?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (09:39):
so you know, the most important skill is also
one of the reasons I ran to bemayor. And that is being able to
collaborate and understand thatit's this is service above self
and being able to be a goodlistener. But to be able to work
with your team. You're just oneperson but this is a team and
for your team to be strong. Youneed to not make this role about
(10:02):
yourself. And so one of theskills that I bring to the table
is much like, on my eight yearsas a school board member, I
value different points of view,and stakeholder engagement. So
that unifying voice, but justlistening, you know, I gave you
several little skills in there.
But all of those go towardscommunity. It's not about me,
it's about being arepresentative of the community,
(10:24):
lifting their voices and theirneeds.
Jim Cooper (10:28):
I think, you know, like Bobbie said earlier, is
being a good listener, andwilling to work with people in
compromise, you can't get itdone. I'll be honest, I loved
being on City Council. And thebig difference between city
council and legislature, you'reone of five, and you can work
with folks to get things done.
And you can do it very quickly,versus the legislature deal with
two houses, 120 members,multiple committees in both
(10:50):
houses, and hopefully thegovernor signs your bill. So,
City Council's much more able toreact more quickly, and pivot if
they need to, than stategovernment. And it was really a
good time you had an instantimpact. Citizens are your
community members. So it wasvery fulfilling. And just trying
to make a difference. Because welive there, we want to, we want
the best. What's best for thecommunity.
Jodie Moreno (11:13):
Yeah, I know, you talked about you know, it's not
about self. But how hard isthat? Because you really have to
have a thick skin in politics inany position. And you say it's
not about self, but that's hard.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (11:25):
Yeah, we both know that so well. But
yeah, you do need thick skin inpolitics. But at the end of the
day, I go to sleep knowing thatI am truly fighting hard for my
community that you know it thisis not for everyone. Politics.
But at the same time, we havesuch a tremendous passion for
(11:45):
making a difference in the livesof our residents. And so that's
the driving force all of thegood outweigh any of the
darkness that comes along theway in politics.
Jim Cooper (11:54):
Yeah. The big thing is like said, you have
detractors, I don't care howmuch good you do. You have
detractors, and with socialmedia, they can get online and
say whatever they want about youor come to council meetings, and
you just got to have thick skinand just, you know, just kee
on doing what's right, yo're hopefully you're doing the r
ght thing, and you're makinit better. And that's really
(12:15):
hat it comes down to. But yo're never gonna please everyone.
And you just can't if you wentome and dwelled on everything
hat was said about you negativly, you would never get anyt
ing accomplished. So I agreeith the mayor, it's not for eve
Bobbie Singh-Allen (12:26):
That's right, having thick skin that
social media, you know, you havethese keyboard warriors who can
hide behind anonymous names. Butthe best thing you can do is use
you know yourself, you know thetruth. And the community for the
most part knows who you are andknow what you stand for. That's
why they elected you. So it'sreally about focusing on why
you're there. And that reallybeing the driving force and in
(12:48):
politics, haters are gonna hateso it's okay.
Kristyn Laurence (12:52):
True. I'm going to take Jim into the
wayback machine a little bitbecause this question is about
like, what was the most pressingissue you dealt with when you
stepped into the role of mayor?
and then, Bobbie, Now, you know,21 years later? You know,
there's there's probably somedifferent issues at play. But
I'd love to hear what kind ofstuff were you dealing with,Jim.
Jim Cooper (13:16):
When we started the city in 2000, the biggest thing
was hiring staff, he needed toget staff up and running. The
majority of California citiesare part-time councils. So on
our council, the originalCouncil, all five of us worked,
we had day jobs. So you heavilyrelied upon staff to give you
good information. So hiring thatcity manager, the city attorney,
(13:38):
the city clerk, and getting thatteam on board. And that was so
important, because like I said,staff can make you or break you.
I mean, you're not there, you'retaking time off and use vacation
time during the day to come andmeet with people and do things.
So, so very, very intensive. Butthat was probably the biggest
thing, getting adequate staff onboard. And it was a brand new
city. I mean, like I said, therewere bumps in the road, you
(14:01):
know, but it just took time.
Jodie Moreno (14:04):
Was there pushback for people that wanted to stay
pretty rural?
Jim Cooper (14:07):
There were people like I said you can't please
everyone. So it's one of thosethings you try and just do
what's good for most folks, andgo from there. But yeah, a lot
of pushback. Some folks didn'twant to become a city. They
wanted to be a county. I thinkthey're much better off as a
city now. They've got muchbetter services. And I think
(14:27):
it's just, it was a good thingto happen. It took three times.
Kristyn Laurence (14:30):
But it definitely worked. Back then. I
think our population was like50,000 people or thereabouts,
right? And now in 2021, we'reserving 178,000 people is what
I'd heard most recently. Whatkind of issues do you feel are
the most pressing for ourcouncil now Mayor?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (14:50):
Yeah, so you know, I was elected in such an
interesting time with COVID-19of my entire campaign was run
during the pandemic and I waselected during the pandemic. I'm
making, we're stillunfortunately, in a pandemic. So
the most pressing thing wasreally economic recovery, making
sure that our small businessescan survive and thrive, post
(15:11):
COVID. And our working familiesfeel they're supported, and
ave the resources to beuccessful. You know, I'm a
ormer board member for thelk Grove Food Bank, I know t
at their clientele went up, wht, six 700%, during COVID. And t
at those are alarming numbers.
So for me, you know, 21 ye
Jodie Moreno (15:28):
So you have lots of stuff going on. Now we took
rs later, it's you're still,ou know, have some overlapp
ng issues in affordable housingis still always very important
or our community. While it mayot have been pressing back, t
en it's definitely much mre pressing now, as the cost
of housing has just gone up. Andwe want to make sure that
ur working families, our teaches, our law enforcement officers,
(15:50):
or firefighters, can afford to lve here not only work here, but
to be able to live inur communities. Jobs, growth
is always important, not jst bringing in our sm
ll businesses, but some maor employment sectors into
ur city. That's something that'm very passionate about. I sit
on the statewide board for viit California. So I see the r
le that you know that even toursm plays and other economic driv
(16:13):
ng factors for lifting communitis. So I want to see Elk Grove
eally be able to thrive with nejobs and growth. Public Saf
ty is always important for us, fr our residents. And I was so
proud that our first mayor pavd the way to not only having o
r own police department, buteally working closely with o
(16:33):
r CSD, with our firefightes. And public safety remains one
of the focal points and why peope move to Elk Grove. They
feel safe. There's good jobs hee. There's great schools, th
re's great parks. And theof course transportation
nd traffic congestion. Those aways still rank very high. But I
m so proud of shout out to RTnd our new partnership that will
(16:55):
be able to address some of, at last some of, those challenges
with our new partnership withRT with great routes. And w
have a program where our studets k 12 have free bus passes, wh
ch will hopefully alleviate someof that traffic congestion. So
a shout out to RT and our new patner.
Jim in the wayback machine, nowwe're going to take you in the
(17:16):
time machine and ask you kind oflike what changes do you expect
to see in Elk Grove like overthe next 20 years or so?
Bobbie Singh-Allen (17:23):
Hopefully, we'll both still be alive.
Hopefully, we've paved the wayfor a vibrant community. You
know, we've always wanted anentertainment hub. And there's a
lot of progress being madetowards that working towards
that. Being able to haveaffordable housing will
hopefully we meet thosechallenges that we see. That
(17:46):
we've all worked together as ateam to really address those
shortages, that we haverepresentatives that truly have
the best interests of ourcommunity at heart. I hope that
those you know that mindsetneeds to always sustain and
continue 20, 30, 50 years fromnow that having a solid,
hopefully the mayor's office isthen by four years, at least not
every two years. So I don't haveto keep running at least at
(18:09):
least right now. That's a that'salways a challenge. But you
know, of course, thepartnerships with our school
district with our CSD, thosewill always remain important.
But I personally hope my kidschoose to live in Elk Grove and
can afford to live here andinvest here. And you know, this
is a great community. So there'sa lot of great things happening.
(18:31):
And I imagine our public safetyis going to continue strong as
long as we elect councils thatinvest in public safety.
Kristyn Laurence (18:36):
Yeah, as a representative for the region,
like Elk Grove is just a smallpart of your governing area
right now. How do you think ElkGrove will fare you know 20
years from now in the region?
Jim Cooper (18:48):
I think Elk Grove will fare good. Elk Grove's
doing good right now. And I'llbe honest, what I love the best
about Elk Grove is 15,000 kidsplaying sports. So it's just,
you know, from Laguna tomeadowview Road, just two miles
as the crow flies. And you havethe schools that are very
impacted Title One, freebreakfast, free lunch, free
dinner, no sports programs, noarts programs for kids, no
(19:11):
banks, no supermarkets. And youknow, the biggest US Soccer
League, the largest in thecountry, the largest Cal Ripken
baseball league west of theMississippi. I mean, you see a
lot of involvement in justballet dancing, and our kids are
engaged involved. And to me,that's what makes Elk Grove
beautiful. The parents areactive, it's tough. And I would
(19:35):
say if those kids in many of youhad those same opportunities,
their lives would probably bedramatically different. So a lot
of positives about Elk Grove andjust trying to have that effect
on the rest of the region. ButElk Groive has is a special
place and they have a lot to beproud of. I mean, we call the
high schools out there you a lotof championships, they've won in
a number of sports, and a lot ofactive pparent participation. So
(19:57):
and they'll grow we have a lotto be thankful for that. And the
mayor knows as a former schoolboard member, if you look at,
you know, three of the top 400high schools in California, are
in Elk Grove, you know, that'sFranklin and CO I mean, when you
start talking about Elk Grove,there's a lot of good things you
talk about.
Jodie Moreno (20:16):
When you talk about being an entertainment
hub, and we have so many newthings coming online, and some
really exciting things coming tothe city, I'd see us just keep
growing.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (20:23):
Oh absolutely, absolutely. And you
know, what Assemblymember,Cooper mentioned about that
connectedness with our, with ourwith our youth is so important,
and kudos to you Assemblymemberfor the money and the resources
that you brought for Elk GroveFood Bank, but for you being up
there, and advocating for ourcity, the food bank would not
(20:44):
have had a home. And you reallyplayed a key role in finding
those instrumental dollars. As aformer board member, we you
know, going back dozens ofyears, we didn't have a home, so
we've been moving place toplace. And thanks to you, they
Elk Grove food bank will willnow finally have a home.
Jim Cooper (21:03):
Yeah, I think everyone in Elk Grove really
cares, they want to do what'sbest for the food bank and the
needs they meet. It's justpeople are struggling right now.
With COVID unemployment, thecost of food going up, you know,
it could definitely be us if thefoot was on the other shoe. So a
lot to be thankful for. And thefood bank does a tremendous
job.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (21:23):
More investment in our community,
more investment in youth, forsure. I like what you said
there. That's when I see thatcontinue those partnerships are
nonprofits. As a mayor, I wantto continue to support them. You
know, homelessness is that isn'tis an issue. But that requires a
lot of regional collaboration.
And so that's where we havegreat partnerships with our
Board of Supervisors andAssemblymember. Cooper and
(21:46):
making sure that we're workingtogether to solve some of these
issues that impact allcommunities.
Jodie Moreno (21:52):
Well, before we end, is there anything else that
you want our listeners to know,even if it's personal about you,
or about our wonderful city, orabout serving Elk Grove?
Jim Cooper (22:02):
I'm just happy that that Bobbie's the mayor, it's
just having a good team therethat they all work together
cohesively. And just to reallymake Elk Grove great, I've lived
there 32 years, I've neverlooked back. I'm looking, I'm
gonna die in Elk Grove. And it'sa good place, a good vibe. And I
feel comfortable going outthere. And I just really love
what the city council is doing,and where they're headed to. So
(22:25):
I think there's a lot moreexcitement to come. So I'm gonna
sit back and enjoy the ride.
Bobbie Singh-Allen (22:30):
Thank you for that. And it's having strong
partnerships with at theassembly level or the Senate or
Congress member, of course, mycolleagues and our county
supervisors, for our city tocontinue thriving. It's having
those great partnerships. And Ilove this community. I've lived
here almost 30 years and plan toretire here. And I'm not going
to use the D word die here. Butit's a great place. And there's
(22:57):
many ways to serve. So anybodylistening wants to serve in our
community. It's not just beingan elected, where you need that
thicker skin that we talkedabout earlier, so many other
ways to serve, join boards andcommissions. Great way of having
your hands on role in shapingour community. We want outgrowth
to thrive with all of youparticipating. There's many ways
to join, reach out to any of usand we'll put you to work. But
(23:20):
this is a great community agreat place to call home and we
welcome everyone. Everyone has aseat at our table.
Jodie Moreno (23:26):
Awesome. Thank you guys both so much for taking
time to be on our first everpodcast for the city of Elk
Grove. We're so excited for allof our listeners and for the
future of our city.
That was so great to talk withthem and see how the city's
changed over the years. I mean,I still find it so fascinating
the whole government process andall that goes into keeping the
(23:48):
city going.
Kristyn Laurence (23:49):
Yeah, and it's also pretty interesting to hear
how they're tackling trips tothe Costco.
Jodie Moreno (23:53):
I can't even imagine. Alright, let's talk
about what's going on aroundtown before we close this
podcast out. As everyone knows,it's been a rough year for
happenings and events withCOVID. And we've seen so many of
our nonprofit partners have tocancel their yearly fundraising
events, along with our partnersover at CSD having to postpone
recreational sports and events.
Even here at the city we'vereally had to reimagine our
(24:15):
events over and over again.
Kristyn Laurence (24:20):
Yeah, but everyone we work with has gotten
really creative and finding waysto bring something to our
residents even if it means youhave to change it up a bit. If
you haven't driven through oldtown in a while we just reopened
our newly renovated Old TownPlaza and there's the monthly
food truck mania events fromSactoMoFo the first Wednesday of
every month, plus everyThursday, you can head over to
(24:41):
District56 still and check outthe Neighborhood Market.
Jodie Moreno (24:44):
Love that market and you know what? Coming up
this fall there's uncorked anduncapped at the end of September
at the Plaza, which is a greatbeer and wine event from our
friends over at Explore ElkGrove. We've also got the peace
and love music review onSeptember 24 from the Elk Grove
Arts Commission. Lookingforward, we're cautiously
optimistic that the GiantPumpkin Festival is coming back
(25:05):
the first weekend in October.
Kristyn Laurence (25:07):
That's true, these things are all subject to
change, and we're keeping ourfingers crossed that though they
all happen. But you can find allthese events and more on our
website at ElkGrovecity.org oryou can follow us on social.
Jodie Moreno (25:18):
Alright. I felt like this was a great first
attempt at a podcast, right?
Kristyn Laurence (25:22):
Absolutely. My kids would be so impressed with
me right now. They would sayO...M...G Mom, you completed a
whole podcast? It's amazing.
Jodie Moreno (25:32):
It is amazing. So we're gonna do it again then.
Right? Absolutely great. Becauseyou know what? We're excited to
share our city in case youcouldn't tell with all of you.
Unknown (25:42):
Thank you for listening to Elk Grove City cast. Listen
to the next episode. For moreinterviews and happenings around
town. You can find Elk GroveCity cast anywhere you get
podcasts. Make sure to like andfollow the city of Elk Grove on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagramfor the latest news and events.
Have an idea for a futureepisode. Send us a note. Email
(26:04):
Public Affairs at Elk Grovecity.org
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