ST. PETER, Minn. (KEYC) – It had been over a century since the seat was filled by a woman.
In November of 2021, Shanon Nowell was elected to become St. Peter’s new Mayor.
“I’m really grateful for the opportunity,” said Nowell.
The last woman to serve as in St. Peter was Lillian Cox Gault, a little over 100 years ago.
That was also the first time the state of Minnesota saw its first female mayor.
Nowell says what makes a good leader isn’t really defined by gender.
“I think the things that make a good mayor would be true for a man or a woman,” said Nowell.
Yet she hopes to inspire women and others to take leadership roles.
“In any community, we all need to be represented,” explained Nowell. “Democracy works best when everybody has a seat at the table and that’s something that I value”.
Nowell served in the St Peter council for two years before becoming mayor.
So when she made the decision to run for the position she had many ideas in mind.
“I had sort of lofty ambitions for my term as mayor and wanting to make progress on affordable housing and to support the diversity in our community and environmental sustainability,” said Nowell. “And I think those messages spoke to the people of St. Peter.”
Over the next two years, St Peter has a total of four developments which will add almost 200 housing units to the town.
“Those are such broad issues that really touch every member of our community,” Nowell remarked. “And so I think that’s really why they resonate.”
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