Name: Dana Merryday
Age: 69
Hometown: Madison, Fla., fifth-generation born there — still a third of the size of Cottage Grove
Marital status: Married
Partner occupation: Geneticist
Children: 2 adult stepchildren
Ward/neighborhood: Ward 3, Wynne’s Addition
Online election platform: Merryday for Mayor
Employer and occupation: retired science teacher, active substitute teacher with South Lane School District
Public sector work experience: Draftsman Leon County Tax Assessor, lab tech, Florida State University, professional educator, current city representative on the Lane County Work Force Council Executive Committee, Cottage Grove Community Development Corporation, Chair Budget Committee.
Private sector work experience: Construction, millwork, food service, journalist, and entertainer.
Elected office held, with dates: Ward 3 city councilor: Elected 2022
Unsuccessful runs for office, with dates: None
One word to describe your leadership style: Fair
One word to describe you at your best: Effective
One word to describe you at your worst: Discouraged
Greetings, fellow Cottage Grovers! I would humbly ask you to consider doing something daring. I would like to ask for your support in guiding our city forward as your mayor.
While serving as City Councilor for Ward 3, it was not my original intention to seek this office. However, I believe that in any election there should be choices. Healthy discourses and exchange of ideas keep democracy strong and allow the public to make their choice as to who best can lead them forward.
Cottage Grove finds itself bitterly divided and reeling following a serious disagreement on how to approach the unhoused issues and the council’s actions which led to a recall election.
Picking up the pieces will require a fair and even-handed leader. A successful mayor will need to set the tone and control the council meetings so that those gatherings don’t devolve into grandstanding and pep rallies for what one group or the other wants. To guide progress means a mayor who will work with and guide the six other councilors toward solutions that are for the greater good and ones that we can all live with.
I feel I am that person. In my many volunteer positions I have sought to be the voice of reason who has advocated for consensus and moving forward to achieve the stated goals we were working on. Be it on a Scout Summer Camp Staff or on the numerous boards I have served on, I was consistently the one pushing to get things done while being willing to put in the time and energy to make sure it did.
Some other personal qualities that will aid me in being your mayor: I am a good listener and have a track record of being able to work with anyone to improve things large and small; I have absorbed a lot of local history by scanning through over 100 years of city council minutes which taught me not only how things have been done in the past but how we got to the present state; I have attempted to maintain a very active presence on social media sharing all information concerning our city that I was aware of; and I have no vested interests — I am just a taxpayer same as you, who would be honored to help guide the City forward.
Thank you for your consideration.
Dana Merryday
Cottage Grove mayoral candidate
Read the Q&A with all candidates here and other candidate biographies and columns on Chronicle1909.com under the City Government tab.