Ever Onward Podcast

Small City, Big Vision: Molly Lenty on Garden City’s Next Chapter | Ever Onward - Ep. 95

• Ahlquist. • Season 1 • Episode 95

Share episode

Garden City, Idaho is only four square miles—but right now, it feels like the center of the Treasure Valley. With a professional soccer team arriving, the Expo sports park taking shape, and the river and Greenbelt drawing more people every season, the stakes for smart, human‑centered growth have never been higher. We sit down with mayoral candidate and longtime community leader Molly Lenty to map out how a small city can make big moves without losing the people and places that make it home.

Molly’s path started with “accidental leadership”—showing up for hard school district votes, winning bond and levy campaigns, and guiding visioning work that translated values into buildable plans. That experience informs a clear framework for Garden City: pair a shared North Star with practical tools like urban renewal, targeted incentives for mixed‑income housing, and neighborhood pocket parks that make streets safer and families feel rooted. We dig into the Glenwood–Chinden corridor’s potential as an entertainment and mobility district, the role of a pedestrian bridge and better north–south connections, and why active transportation can’t rest on the Greenbelt alone.

We also get candid about zoning friction and “first do no harm” governance. Molly explains how to simplify approvals without lowering standards, collaborate with Ada County and nearby cities, and protect long‑time residents from displacement as investment accelerates on the east side. And because local elections are personal, she shares what she hears at the doorstep, why she handwrites her phone number on campaign cards, and how four thousand votes could redefine the city’s future.

If you care about inclusive growth, safer streets, and a riverfront that welcomes everyone, this conversation will give you a blueprint and the motivation to act. Listen, share with a Garden City neighbor, and if the show resonates, follow, rate, and leave a review—then text a voter who needs to hear this.

Follow Ahlquist on Social Media:

LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/ahlquist/⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/ahlquistdev/

TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@ahlquistdev

X (Twitter): ⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/ahlquistdev

Meta (Facebook): ⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/ahlquistdev/

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ahlquistdev?si=ejOXPKRqQjtsdVFE


SPEAKER_03:

Today on the Ever Onward Podcast, we have uh the next mayor of Garden City, uh Molly Lenty. Molly is a longtime friend. Uh she has served on every board. Uh uh I met her first 20 years ago when we were serving on the uh um United Way Board of the Treasure Valley. Uh she is uh currently a candidate for mayor of the city of Garden City. Uh we are enthusiastically supporting her and really excited to get her on the podcast today to talk about her vision for Garden City, Molly Lenty. Mayor.

unknown:

Hi.

SPEAKER_03:

That sounds good. You gonna do this?

SPEAKER_00:

I'm doing it.

SPEAKER_03:

Molly Lenty, thanks for coming on.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, absolutely. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_03:

You've been busy.

SPEAKER_00:

It's it's uh it's busy. You know, this time of year is always busy.

SPEAKER_03:

I've got your uh I've got your campaign hat on. I am the treasurer of your campaign hat.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, you are. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_03:

So we needed to get you on here because uh I'm excited for you.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, thank you.

SPEAKER_03:

This is gonna be fun.

SPEAKER_00:

It's uh it's an important time in Garden City.

SPEAKER_03:

I when you told me you were gonna do this, I thought it's such a natural progression for you.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, well, I I appreciate that. You know, I think for those of us that are servant leaders, um it you know, it's never been on my list to be mayor. Never been on the radar in that way, but I think, you know, when you see something that um needs the type of leadership and experience and the things that uh I've been able to do through my my career, it's uh it's time. It's it's time for Garden City, and and I'm ready to step up.

SPEAKER_03:

Let's uh I've known you for a long time. You've been you're you're uh you're kind of a natural born leader. I mean, I think the first time I met with you is when we were on the United Wayboard with Nora.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

How many years ago was that?

SPEAKER_00:

That had to be pushing 20.

SPEAKER_03:

20 years ago.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, probably.

SPEAKER_03:

But I remember, and I know this might and I've never probably told you this, but I remember going to those first couple of meetings, and like it was a night, it was a great group of people. Jeff Taylor was on there. Who was the guy that was the statesman guy? The Idaho Statesman.

SPEAKER_02:

Mike Jung.

SPEAKER_03:

Mike Jung was on there, great guy. Um trying to think who else. It was a really good group of leaders. And I was, you know, it's 20 years ago, and so I was pretty impressionable about who's, you know, who's who's what. But you stood out kind of even on that board as like the voice of, you know, the community, and just you've just been a tremendous leader. So where does that come from? Tell us a little bit about Molly.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, I I talk a lot about accidental leadership and how that's shown up for me throughout my career. Um, you know, it's it's being the person in the room when something needs to get done, and you kind of look around and you realize, wait a minute, I'm the only person raising my hand to help be a part of the solution. And so I've I've had a lot of those opportunities that have presented themselves to me, and and I've been willing to a lot of times, you know, jump in and just have faith that I'm gonna figure out how to get it done, and also have faith that I know that there's gonna be a lot of people that'll be helping along the way. I can remember back um one of the first boards I was ever on, it was the Boys and Girls Club of Niampa. And it was during a time of tremendous financial turmoil at the Niampa School District, and they were canceling busing from the schools to the club, and it was, you know, gonna be catastrophic for kids that really depended upon um that that after-school program, but even more so that community that a boys and girls club can provide. And so I showed up as a board member to a board, uh, a school district uh board meeting, and that was my first entree into having any visibility around school districts and school funding. Um I can fast forward, there's actually lots of funny stories as it pertains to that whole experience. Um but I found myself serving on the Financial Recommendation Committee, having to vote on actually closing a school that my kids went to. And that was a really, really tough decision, but it was a decision that made sense for the district. We had a brand new school just around the corner that, you know, it made sense financially, but it also made sense where we're bringing people together in uh in a new way. But that was that was a really hard decision. And I think when I think about leadership, it's showing up for those decisions when they need to be made with others in mind, and sure enough, everyone, everyone was just okay, ended up then leading their bond and levy campaigns. And, you know, I'd never done that before.

SPEAKER_03:

That's hard.

SPEAKER_00:

But I had people I could call and say, help me learn what I need to know. And they did. And we won um both the bond and levy campaigns, which helped retain teachers' positions, helped retain and uh, you know, bring back funding to the school district, and then chaired the superintendent search. You can see how that kind of goes, right? Where you show up for something that you really care about, and then all of a sudden you find yourself in that seat of um just needing to keep you know moving the ball forward, and I think also being a servant leader is creating other leaders uh around you. So you can pass the baton too.

SPEAKER_03:

Was what were you were you attracted to stuff like this growing up? Was it always something you did as a child and as a teenager?

SPEAKER_00:

You know, um, I kind of joke, but this is true. In in junior high, I was in an organization called Future Problem Solvers of America. I remember that. And you know, I couldn't tell you any of the the direct projects that we worked on as part of the competition, but I think it's always been a part of the fabric of who I am. Um you know, I truly believe, and I I've said this a lot during this campaign period, you're either going to be a part of the solution or you're gonna be a part of the problem. There is no in-between.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, that's really well really well put. Have you always been confident um in your abilities? Uh where do you where do you lie?

SPEAKER_00:

That's a good question. I think, you know, uh innate as humans, we always have that um lingering insecurity that creeps up. And I think um for me, it's been the ability to to just push that back into the corner and say, you know what, I'm not doing anything that I've been involved in, it's not been for my own ego, it's been for something greater than me. I just happen to be the vessel or the vehicle to to help move that forward. And that helps me to uh not think about all of those little things that keep you up at night.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah. It's also I think pretty healthy. It's interesting. Just this morning I was listening to I get up and listen to a podcast when I work out and I I do my cold plunge every morning. But uh what this morning I I was listening to Lionel Richie who was on a podcast and um and I I didn't expect to hear what I heard, but he was talking, and I listened to it for most of it this morning, that that it that his it's always about forward. It's always about it's never about like ever stopping. And it's just like how do I how do I be part of a solution? And if I'm he said that his dad said if it you know leadership is defined uh in those moments where you either take a a step forward or a step back. And if you think about most of the times in our life, it's am I gonna take a step forward or a step back? And I think I'm around people, and I would describe you as one of those that it's always a step forward. It's always, hey, let's go do this, let's go figure this out, let's go take that step forward, even if even if the path might be a little unknown.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. Well, I I appreciate you saying that. And you know, when you first said Lionel Richie, I was thinking it was going to be a reference of dancing on the ceiling, but you know, taking that that step forward is is definitely um you know part of being a part of a solution.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

The world is moving so fast. Yeah. I had an opportunity at one of our College of Western Idaho events um where we had a futurist come and speak to us. And he shared that in this very moment the world will never be working at this same pace as today. It's constantly going to be moving faster and faster. And I think that really um, you know, helps illustrate why we can't be stagnant. You know, people don't want change. Something about the way that that we're wired, most people don't want change. But what they don't realize is the only constant in this world is change. And so we can either embrace that, I think, you know, especially as it pertains to Garden City, we know change is happening so rapidly. It's happening around us. You know, we're four square miles, we're the only landlocked city in the valley. Change is absolutely happening around us, but it's happening within us as well. And I think there's those those moments that you really have to pause and understand what are the high impact, vital few things that we really need to hold dear in each of our unique communities across the footprint of Garden City. So that as change happens, it doesn't disrupt those things that are uh are the most valued. We can retain a lot of those, we can preserve those things while also embracing the change that's coming at us.

SPEAKER_03:

That's awesome. Uh let's let's go to Garden City, this mayor run. Yeah. I mean, so a couple a couple things before we get there. So, business leader, you've had lots of successes in business, you've always been part of boards. You have been an elected official because you're a trustee at the College of Western Idaho. I think you've been two terms there.

SPEAKER_00:

Elected twice to the board and then two terms as board chair.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, two terms as board chair. So you've you've you've experienced elections, you've experienced public service and and service, that servant's heart. Yeah. And then uh, and now this will be this'll be uh uh something new running for the mayor of Garden City. Um when you told me, I'm just like, let's go. This makes all the sense in the world. Um let's talk a little bit about Garden City. Uh so four square miles.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep.

SPEAKER_03:

Um I I lived um right on the border of Garden City for 20 plus years, and my church went down into our boundary went down into Garden City. Wonderful, wonderful people. Like some of the greatest people I've known on the planet Earth um live and live there in Garden City and good good friends of mine to this day. Um, then the second thing I'll tell you is because of where I lived and because I worked at St. Luke's forever, I drove down I was that's that's my route, right? So I think most people know Garden City because they drive through it. Right. But if you look at the borders of Garden City and the river and the river frontage and the industry and the exposure to traffic and just because of the way traffic patterns flow, right, its potential has always been through the roof.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03:

I mean, I I mean it just has been because of it's got all the elements. It's got the river, it's got traffic that's not going to bypass it, it's got industry, yeah, and it's sitting and it's got great people. So um talk about your uh connection and and and kind of where it is and what you see for the future.

SPEAKER_00:

You know, I think um all of the things that that you just said, Tommy, plus looking at right now it's such a poignant moment for Garden City. We've got some really exciting things that are are coming up. First ever professional sports team in Idaho. We've got the the soccer club that's gonna be kicking off with their first match in March. We've got the um sports park at Expo Idaho. There is going to be even more of an influx of people that are traveling to Garden City. A lot of people traverse through, but they're traveling to. And when I think about um very similarly, over in Caldwell, when former President Henberg brought back football to the College of Idaho, how that infused so much energy and um visibility and helped really spur what we see now as Indian Creek and the development that's grown there. Really helped create them, the the pathway for Caldwell to being a destination city.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, and you had a little guy named Garrett Nancolis, who was the mayor for 24 years, and that guy is a legend, yeah, visionary, uh took the arrows to say, no, we're gonna do this, right? So you had things aligning with some leadership, right? That really transformed things. So uh I think that's a great analogy. I hadn't thought about that, but you think about what happened there, and now you go, uh, if you went to down, uh we we did pro we did that theater in downtown Caldwell. And when we did that, there was not anything much around. I mean, they had they had they had put in the river, but it's you I we go down there now. Uh in fact, it's coming up. We go there every holiday and go out there a lot. We still do business a lot of business out of Caldwell, and it is incredible. Yeah. What's happened.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. You know, and and their ability to leverage a lot of the different resources that are available to a city, urban renewal being one of those, I think that's gonna be critically important. Um, I think there's also an opportunity to pursue whether an opportunity zone makes sense in Garden City. You know, we know that there's a lot that's gonna be changing there at the fairgrounds with Ada County. Um I've been meeting with county commissioners, you know, just to build that rapport, kind of build that ideation around what could it look like if Garden City and Ada County were to work together to create something really cool.

SPEAKER_03:

I mean, you've got the baseball stadium, right? You've got the soccer stadium now, you've got land, you've got parks, you've got the river, and you've got a very, very even even with people coming and going from it, if you just took like the three to five five mile demographics, right? You have tons of rooftops already. And you kind of have uh we well, there's history here, because for 20 there's there's projects that I've successfully been able to figure out, and there's ones that I haven't. We spent a significant part of our lives trying to redevelop this site. We we've got plans on top of plans. It reminds me of the site we're sitting on today, because we're we're sitting here recording this at where Top Golf is.

SPEAKER_02:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

I made three different runs of this over 18 years before we finally got it. And if you look back at the plans that we've had and what will finally end up happening, but but we as a developer, um there is tremendous, tremendous opportunity if done right, right, to develop uh uh entertainment district that could that could really rival anything else in the state if done right, um, down at Glenwood and and Chinden.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep.

SPEAKER_03:

Um and it's it it could be incredible. And I think with what the county's doing, and I've spent a lot of time with a couple of their commissioners talking about this, but I'm really proud of the leadership they've been able to do to tackle that park and put it in, what they did to do the stadium, put it in. I mean, those are two big foot forward. But if it was in conjunction with Garden City and some leadership, watch out.

SPEAKER_00:

They, you know, uh in my conversations with the commissioners, they're a very growth mindset in you know, not one set agenda of what they want that space to look like, but really open to what it can be. And that's where I think it's a really critical moment in time. Um, from a collaboration standpoint. There's a private group that's also done a feasibility study around a pedestrian bridge over Shinden at Glenwood and how that can move people in that direction, especially in preparation for what we already know is coming. We've got to find a way to move people north-south over Shinden. It's gonna have to be a creative type of a strategy, um, and and it's impressive, but it's gonna take leadership. Yeah. And then if you go even east of there, and if you've been, you know, down by the river, um, where all of the the really exciting, you know, by the Whitewater Park and a lot of the development that's happened along the river right there, but we still have a lot of um, you know, aging uh pockets. Potential. A lot of potential, but I think also, and this really goes back to a lot of the work that that we've done, and you know, for 25 years, I was the vice president of government and community relations over five states at Walls Fargo. So I did a lot of work helping to understand um how communities can really thrive and some of the pitfalls that, you know, with with growth, you kind of uh there's unintended impacts that have to be solved for as well. And when I think about the potential for the risk of gentrification, especially on the East End, and there are people that have lived in Garden City for generations that um, you know, they want to be, they want to be a part of Garden City, but that's where we've got to work with our local residential developers and builders to identify ways that we can create mixed income housing and you know, other really creative solutions. There's a lot of programs that are out there that the city can tap into that that we really haven't yet. Things that I think would help promote and provide incentives for residential developers to think of really creative ways that they continue to build out those those areas of Garden City and especially some of the park pocket communities that can be created.

SPEAKER_03:

I love that. I love that. And I think uh, you know, sometimes um you think about development, um, because we're doing the big CWI project just down the river. You think about the Green Belt, you think about the river. And sometimes maybe it's too philosophical for me, but I think about you know, this um we think of development as of what's happened since the 70s, a lot of times. But but in in reality, you know, this land, that river, th this high desert plain next to these mountains was here long before it was settled and taken away from the people that used to live here.

SPEAKER_00:

Right.

SPEAKER_03:

And and and it what what it is and what it'll become and what it'll be for the next hundred years, when you start thinking in in longer context, it's really important work because it's people's lives, it's their it's their livelihood, and it's it's how are you going to be a steward of this piece of land as it develops and grows. And and I like thinking about that sometimes. That's why even the CWI project, like this thing that's gonna put here and embrace this river that's been here for you know hundreds of thousands, millions of years that we're now putting something by, right? You know, this is like now our chance to honor that and make this thing work. And and the fact that Garden City has that river from kind of stem to stern through the whole thing, what a blessing. And it gives you the opportunity to say, okay, what what can it be? What has it been? What can it be now? And what it's its potential in the future, and what are the tools and ways the city can help shape that future? That's big stuff.

SPEAKER_00:

I think it's both an opportunity as well as a responsibility of our leadership, you know, to be thinking um for Garden City in a way that's broader than just the constraints of our our city boundaries. It's gotta be working with the other city leaders and you know, and Boise and Eagle and all the surrounding communities. It's going to require interagency uh uh partnership. Um, you know, Green Belt, one of the greatest assets that Garden City has. And I absolutely love our greenbelt. But there's there's you know pain points that are known.

SPEAKER_03:

I got I got roped into a pain point recently. So I don't know how I get roped into this. I get I just got a call and they're like, hey, it was Judy P. V Dr who called me. And she's like, hey, there's we got a problem with greenbelt, and you're gonna help me fix it. And I said, Hey Judy, like I'd love to help you, but why are you calling me? Anyway, there's a part where it comes down just before it gets to where the new ballpark and the park will be.

SPEAKER_02:

Okay.

SPEAKER_03:

And there was a bridge. They had a two million dollar, um, two million dollar grant to put the bridge from one side over to an island to to kind of bypass this whole thing. Well, the grant was well intended, but the the bid for the bridge was like six million bucks. So she's like, You're gonna help me figure out a way to get around this. And so I said, Okay, I'll try. Well, I called some of the property owners that I knew to see if I could help. And when when they told me, uh, hey buddy, take a hike, right? Uh anyway, I think the county's gonna step up. But your point is there's still work to be done on connectivity and making that what it can be for families that that I mean, what a treasure we have.

SPEAKER_00:

Right. Yeah. We and I've met with that group too, so very well versed in in that project and you know, and and our focus on active transportation as well. You know, right now we utilize the green belt for commuting. Yeah. We really need to create more of an active transportation corridor, whether that's down Adams Street, whether it somehow incorporates, you know, um closer to Shinda. We we we just need to find additional avenues. I've ridden my bike to work, and I'm you know, my office is downtown at 13th and Bannock, and I've ridden my bike a a few times, and it's great until you hit Whitewater, and then you got to find your way over to downtown. So I know that there's still some work to be done on on both sides of the river. But there are people that absolutely love the ability to bike to work.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And I think we can really embrace that as well. You know, you talked about uh the Whitewater Project, and I think one of the things that helped us as an elected board where we've got to represent our responsibility is to represent our taxpayers and our stakeholders. We needed to have the information that could really help us understand how to build that North Star around what what was needed most for the college. And, you know, one of the things that I did as chair of the board was to commission a visioning process. And that helped the board through that process to be able to make the subsequent decisions that came ahead of us, including as we went through the RFP process for the design build. And, you know, it was so important to us as a committee, and I chaired that committee, so important to us that we partnered with an entity that understood not just a plug-and-play of what could be in that, you know, that footprint, but really an understanding of the responsibility to ensure that we were creating um an environment that provided that connectivity with the infrastructure that was already there.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

The original intent, you know, how do we ensure that we um complement instead of uh disrupt how the green belt in that area is being used and how it can being can be used. And you know, through that process, that's where where we get to work together on on the Whitewater project. And I think it's gonna be such an important part of our community from a business community perspective as well as broader community and for our students and learning in the corridor to downtown. I mean, I could go on and on about how proud I am of that project and and what we're building for the community in a variety of ways. I think that same type of a visioning process needs to take place in Garden City. I love that. We need to understand what are those things that we need to preserve, but we also need to be looking a lot more broadly than just a plug and play within a footprint, especially as I think about the East End and south of Shinden. There are things that we can be doing as leaders to ensure that we complement broader needs of the city in the ways that we uh partner with our developers. So, for example, public safety being one of those. And we know that one of the greatest assets to a community is public parks, not only from a recreation standpoint, but also a safety standpoint. Um, it prevents um, in a lot of ways, it prevents uh uh pockets of um violent and and sexual offenders from living near a park. Neighborhoods need parks for so many different reasons. So when I think about on the East End, it's gonna be not just creating mixed income housing in a thoughtful way, but it's also going to be encouraging and finding solutions for pocket parks. And as I've met with residential developers that are over in that area, they're all for it.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

They're for coming up with those creative.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, everyone's interests should align, right? Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

So it's got to be, you know, more than just some of the zoning codes. And um Tommy, I have found myself on like, who am I right now? I have downloaded an audio book on zoning codes. That's what I'm listening to daily. You know, you talked about your podcast you're listening to while you're working out.

SPEAKER_03:

Hey, let me give you some advice, unsolicited advice. You know, the Hippocratic Oath in medicine, first do no harm. I think cities sometimes they're so well intended. I'm never gonna question their intentions.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

But first do no harm, man. Because they can mess stuff up quicker than it's it's a it's an interesting thing. And the zoning codes, um i they can get complicated because you have these comprehensive plans that are done 10, 20, sometimes 30 years before.

SPEAKER_00:

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03:

You have an underlying zoning code and plan. Then you have the current code that goes on top of it, and sometimes it takes literally attorneys to figure out, hey, you know, we can put a parking lot here, we can't put it here, we can face this here, and it just gets and and I think despite intentions that may be good, it just sometimes these things get it's getting harder.

SPEAKER_01:

Yep.

SPEAKER_03:

I think layers and layers of stuff on top of it, but you'll do great because you understand business.

SPEAKER_00:

True. And I understand how to identify, okay, these are our constraints. Good. Okay.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

What are the things we can do?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

And and bring people to the table around those big ideas.

SPEAKER_03:

Hey, how's campaigning been?

SPEAKER_00:

Oh, it's a slog. You know, I mean, this is my third campaign. Um you you talked about the, you know, confidence and and self-doubt. And I think I'd somebody would have to be lying if they campaigned without some level of, you know, am I doing this right? Am I spending my time the best way? Am I working with my campaign team to ensure that we're maximizing dollars? It's a great responsibility to those that support you, but also to the mission in mind.

SPEAKER_03:

It's so hard.

SPEAKER_00:

It's hard.

SPEAKER_03:

It's so hard. And and you feel uh what you just described, I uh, you know, done it once and lost, took third.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Uh but um you feel such an obligation. It's different than because you have people that support you and they're they're giving you their money and they're giving you their time, they're volunteering for you, they're making calls, and the connection with those people and the you don't want to let them down. I remember when uh I I was getting some advice from Mitt Romney before I ran, and uh, he said a couple things. He's like, hey, never never be surprised to disappoint you once you announce to run. That was one. And then two, he's like, you won't understand the feeling of losing until you lose because it's a it's you don't it's it's not like any other it's not like any other thing you've done in in your life because that that responsibility is so real. And then you're like, I cannot let these people down. I want to win, but I can't let these people down. So um the pressure's good. Um uh it's also it's also hard. You're listening to consultants and your gut's telling you one thing, they're telling you another thing.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

You know, I I wish that that was the hardest part for me.

SPEAKER_00:

Well, and that's because you're a servant leader too. You're you're doing it on behalf of what you know is right and and for other people. And we wear that on our our shoulders really heavily.

SPEAKER_03:

Some of the hardest conversations I ever had was, hey, this is what we need you to do. And I'm like, well, that's not what I'm feeling. I'm knocking doors. That's not what I'm hearing. And they're like, we don't care. And and you're like, well, so it's it's uh you learn a lot. You learn a lot about yourself. I'll tell you that feeling of waking up every morning and just like, here we go again, here we go again, here we go again. It's good for you. Make you tough.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. I definitely have thicker skin this go round, I'll tell you that. I think you I think you've got to. Very different.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, because you had uh, you know, you had the the CWI board is still a process, but yeah, this is probably a little more emotional. And you're taking on kind of an establishment, I'm sure. It's that's that's why that's why I that's why I love you doing this. I mean, I think in government, here's my criteria. We need really, really good people that are smart and have servants' hearts. You got that in spades. Secondly, it really helps to have free market people that understand business that go into government because I think they act differently. I think I think when when you really understand what it takes to make things happen, um, and then are you a person that steps forward and leads? Um, I'm uh you got all that.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. You know, I I uh I appreciate that. I'll I'll tell you as I'm door knocking, that's been one of the best things. You know, when I have run my last two campaigns, it's across two counties, Ada and Kenyon County. It's a very different way of campaigning, and I have absolutely I absolutely loved every opportunity to have conversations with residents in Garden City. I think that's been one of the best parts of the campaign. And they're wonderful people, I would say 99.9% of the time outdoor knocking. People are so, so gracious, so thankful that a candidate takes time to actually, you know, be out there and have those conversations. And I've done something maybe some people might think is a little bit crazy, but I've handwritten my phone number on each of the palm cards I leave.

SPEAKER_03:

Oh, wow. And I say you're getting calls?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah. And I've said, you know, if you have questions that you think of later, because a lot of times they're on the spot and they're, you know, thinking, oh, I wasn't expecting to be asked about, you know, what are my biggest priorities in in Garden City. And I said, if you've got questions later, or as you're talking to any neighbors, if they have questions, feel free to give me a call, share my contact information. I welcome any and all conversations. And I've had some really engaging, thoughtful conversations with people that have reached out after the fact, or that I have left my palm card with a little note, you know, hey, we'd love to connect. Here's my phone number. And that's that's been great. You know, our our mayor now has been in office for nearly 20 years in Garden City. So for a lot of people, I've I've heard two things. People have said, we have a we have a mayor in Garden City. People don't realize that, right? Yes, we have we have a full uh municipal government and offices and and people that work really, really hard on behalf of the city. But people are also, you know, surprised that um that the mayor is is retiring and you know, he's done a great job in a number of um so many different ways. We are one of the, if not the most uh well-run city from a fiscal standpoint. That's something that's gonna be really, really important to continue on. Um but uh you know, I think I've got a very different leadership style than um than a lot of people have. And I'm I'm somebody that it's okay, what do we need to get done and when do we need to get it done? But it's also a lot more um broad thinking around what are the things we haven't thought of or what are the unintended consequences of this potential decision. And the way that I lead a board and the way that I would I would help lead council is to ensure that we've got we're really leveraging the leadership from across the council and that they're they've got input on the agendas and they've got input on city initiatives, and let's really lead out on having a growth mindset in the ways that we will be engaging with our residents and the ways that we will be engaging with our businesses in a very different way than I think Garden City has experienced before. So I'm really excited about that, and people are very receptive to the idea of um deeper engagement and and you know bringing forums to their local neighborhoods.

SPEAKER_03:

That's awesome. That's awesome. And you're on an off-cycle election. What are they what do they think the voting universe, what's the turnout gonna be?

SPEAKER_00:

You know, off-cycle elections are always really difficult. Um we've looked at data from the past to off-cycle elections, which for me I'm typically on a gubernatorial ballot, the last two that I've been on. So it's a very different uh voter demographic um altogether. Uh, you know, I've last campaign um was able to earn over 85,000 votes. In Garden City, I need to earn at least 4,000 votes. It's a very different, you know, very targeted. As many conversations as I can have with people is is beneficial.

SPEAKER_03:

That's work ethic and that's just getting out. And and and um isn't it nice that we live in a community where you've got people that are just, yeah, I'm here, here's my cell phone number. Call me, I'll tell you what I think, get to know me. Um that's awesome.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, you know, in Garden City, it's so special. Um I've I've lived there before. I I moved back a couple years ago, just absolutely love um love the city, love uh so many of our different areas that are our, you know, East End is different. We our East Enders have have named themselves the East End. Where I live, I'm over on the West End. We don't even call each call ourselves the West End. Then you've got South of Shinden, I've heard Sochi being something that's that's thrown out lately. And then you've got north of the river, which is largely river club and plantation neighborhood and um you know along the the um neighborhood, Riverside Village, there's a little bit of that north as well. And we don't really have an adopted or shared nomenclature for who we are collectively as a city or even within each of the um neighborhood pockets. And I think there's a huge opportunity for that as we really look at who we are and who we want to become. Um, you know, it's it's such a special place over on the West End. And um, my husband's family has been on that property for over 50 years, and so definitely deep roots over there. You know, we can walk to the Green Belt in a minute and a half. I can drive to downtown in 13, downtown Boise in 13 minutes. I'm over in Eagle in six minutes. It's uh we're right in the middle of so much happening here in the valley.

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, you you talk about like infill, whatever you do there. It's the perfect use of resources, perfect use of of of existing transportation lines. I mean, there's just like the sky's the limit. And as everything encloses around, and I mean Garden City is there's all that there's a ton of potential. Yep. And then there's probably the care of saying, how do we grow right and how do we take care of the people that have been here for a long time and all that. So that's what I love about um uh what you're doing. So for people listening out there, it's 4,000 votes. If you know anyone in Garden City, you better tell them to vote for Molly Lenty.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03:

Right? Yep. And um so you've got what what's today? You got a month left.

SPEAKER_00:

I do.

SPEAKER_03:

This is crunch time.

SPEAKER_00:

The clock is ticking. Yeah, I'm out there just about every night. If I don't have an event that that I'm attending, I'm out knocking doors, I'm out there on Saturday. We have uh a really fun little golf cart that that we put together that's got, you know, American flag. It was had already had already been in the family and and um added my campaign signage to it. So if you see me out in a neighborhood, stop you. You know, it's not we we can't we want to trailer it into a neighborhood, but I can it's been great as I've been going door to door.

SPEAKER_03:

Let's get all the information out. So your website is Molly Lenty.com. Wow. Was it available?

SPEAKER_00:

I've had it a little while.

SPEAKER_03:

That's awesome. Molly Lenty.com, uh Molly for Mayor, uh probably places you can go volunteer.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03:

Uh right on your website. I know there's a place to go donate if you want to donate. Um I really look forward to you winning this thing. Thank you. And uh it I can I can just I I can just picture, you know, sometimes when you think about vision and what's gonna happen, but I just can picture you interacting with the other mayors, really pulling Garden City into that, uh conversation and watching what you do over time. Uh this could be it's it was it's easy to uh help you. It's easy to serve as your treasurer, it's easy to tell everyone I know, hey, go vote for Molly, because um I know your heart.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, well thank you.

SPEAKER_03:

I mean, uh I've known you a long time in a lot of different capacities in community leadership and service. And I think what we talk about all the time, it's easy to talk about. Hey, we need really good people to serve in in in in government, right? We we say that all the time. Right. But then when you have someone that is that really good people, like it's the shining example of that person that has spent her entire life serving in multiple capacities with every nonprofit you can think of in the valley and loves this place, saying, Okay, I'm ready to go do more significant civic service as the mayor of Garden City. Uh nothing's been an easier thing for me than saying, let's let's go do let's go win this thing. So um, for anyone listening out there uh that doesn't know Molly, go to our website. I'm sure you've got events coming up, ways they can meet you. And if you know anyone in Garden City, tell them to get out and vote, right? I appreciate that.

SPEAKER_00:

Absolutely. You know, there is so much to look forward to in Garden City, and I can't wait to be there running alongside and and other leaders that are so passionate about the city and the community that is is being built up.

SPEAKER_03:

Awesome. Thanks for coming on today.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you. Thanks, everybody.