BOUNTIFUL—Kate Bradshaw has loved politics since she was young and that interest never left her. It’s taken her to Washington, D.C. and back to Bountiful where she serves on the City Council. 

“I interned in D.C. with Jim Hansen,” she said. “I thought I’d like to go into the foreign service in embassies overseas. That was the path I was headed down. I came home for the summer and volunteered on Greg Paganelli’s campaign and that’s when I met my husband.”

Spending time in D.C. was an interesting time after Sept. 11, said Bradshaw. “Things don’t move or get solved very fast.”

Bradshaw became involved with the Utah Legislature while working with former representative Greg Curtis. “I saw a way I could solve problems,” she said. “Not at first but over time I can make a change working the advocacy-side path. Working for the legislature or adjacent to them is a master class to see 104 legislators’ different ways to lead.”

 Her path to becoming a city councilmember came from a rambunctious German Shepherd puppy that chewed through her seatbelt. “My husband teaches at Viewmont,” said Bradshaw. “We decided to move back to Bountiful where we could have a bigger house and be in the community Bountiful offers. We built the house and adopted a German Shepherd puppy. We were trying to find a way to wear him out and there were no off-leash dog parks to speak of.”

There were no legal places we could go to wrestle him and let him play with other dogs, she said. “I started emailing the City Council asking them to find an unloved, unused corner of the city to make a dog park. I was working with an elected official at the time who said it was a dumb idea and that we don’t have anything like that.”

After the city bought Creekside Park Bradshaw said she tried to find other like-minded pet owners and asked them to contact her. “I put it on Facebook and had quite a big group of people who wanted an off-leash park. When the city officials saw the scope, they recognized the type of commitment and started to look to see if they could find a corner that was unused.”

They ended up finding a park with low use that already had fences on two sides so it could keep dogs safe, she said. “That’s the park on 250 W. 1050 South. It’s the only off-leash park in Bountiful.”

About that same time there was an uproar over Stoker School and the city park, said Bradshaw. “I was close to running during the 2017 election cycle then when Beth Holbrook left I decided to put my hat in the ring in 2018. “I served her final year and in 2019 I stood for election. I had a deep interest in all levels of government and I started thinking maybe I could do many things a different way and that I had a skill set that could be important.”

  Since taking office, Bradshaw has had the opportunity to work on the city’s master plan and trails. “We want to build more trails and amenities,” she said. “We need to foster more stewardship of the outdoors. When I was in high school I was on the mountain biking team and we would volunteer to help take care of the trails.”

There have been bumps along the way and disagreements in the community, said Bradshaw. “I remember when I was younger working on staff for an elected person that tough issues would come up. I would watch how different legislators would handle that. I saw the human side of the elected officials and how it affected them.”

Every month Bradshaw writes a newsletter for residents. “I feel like I owe residents insight into how I make a decision and a report card on what happened and how I voted,” she said. “I found proactive engagement on tough issues so it’s not a surprise to them, it makes them feel like they’ve been well informed. An angry crowd is usually because they don’t feel like they’ve been included.”

She also posts mini updates on social media. “People want to be in the loop,” said Bradshaw. “They might now agree with my vote but they can see how I got there. Most residents say ‘I see.’ They still might not be happy with the action taken but you can’t please everyone all the time.”

So what about that dream of foreign service? “I saw the glamor of overseas and D.C.,” said Bradshaw. “As I got older I decided I couldn’t solve big problems like world peace but I could make a meaningful difference in how people feel about a street or a park. I’ve grown to love Bountiful. It’s just the right size to make a difference.”