Leadership group visits Marion
Staff writer
Six Marion County Leadership Program participants visited Marion last week and met county commissioners.
The six members are Jennifer Bush of Peabody, Peggy Kleiber from Marion, Kevin Moon from Goessel, Kristina Kraemer from Tampa, Hannah Bartel from Hillsboro, and Chuck Maltbie from Hillsboro.
The class started in August and will end in about a week in Wichita, and tell program leaders what they learned, County Administrator Tina Spencer said.
After the commission meeting Spencer guided the participants to various places within the city.
“It was a combination with county government day,” she said.
The class toured county offices and businesses before returning to the courthouse to ask and answer questions.
Maltbie told the Record on why he wanted to take part in the program.
“I have always been involved in the community and to be a better neighbor,” he said.
The second reason was a little self-serving, he said.
“Our business has been here five years, and still local folks don’t even know we exist,” he said. “It’s a good way to connect with others.”
By getting to meet people in the program, Maltbie was able to tell them about his business.
After a layoff of several years the Leadership program restarted in 2022. The program for high school students started a year later.
Participants meet every two weeks in different communities.
The first meeting for this class was at the Peabody Creamery in August.
Other meeting locations were in Durham, Hillsboro, Goessel and Marion.
Things Maltbie learned through the program will stay with him.
“God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason,” he said. “We have to learn to listen and to have a conversation to find a better way.”
Class members pay $50, and a committee reviews applications to decide who is allowed in. The state pays the rest of the cost for the program.
“They go to different parts of the county,” Spencer said “It’s about doing.”
Maltbie said the program helped communities come together.
“I would highly recommend that people take the opportunity to do this,” he said. “It’s very much worth it. It’s an important part of community service.”