Jolene Biggs said she would rely on the education she has received from many years of business experience and volunteer work to serve her hometown if elected to the Great Bend City Council.
Biggs’s recent appointment to fill a vacant Second Ward council seat was unanimously approved; she is running in that ward for a full two-year term. Voters will go to the polls Nov. 7.
“I will offer Great Bend residents the experience I have gained during 40 years of working in the local business community,” Biggs said. “My various volunteer positions will also be an asset in serving on the council.
“It is important to look at all sides of an issue with a sense of fair play — whether in business, civic issues or city government,” she continued. “I am open to new ideas and willing to listen.”
Biggs is an account executive at Insurance Planning. This position involves working with a variety of clients, representing many types of business ventures.
“As part of this insurance work, I review many complex documents and contracts,” Biggs said. “It can be like putting a puzzle together to find the best fit for a business client, which includes being a good listener and team player. I will do the same in analyzing budgetary and other financial issues to determine what is best for the city today and in the future.”
Biggs also emphasized she is passionate about creating opportunities for young Great Bend residents.
“This includes continuing to expand on giving young people a reason to seek an education and a job right here at home,” she explained. “Our area offers opportunities to obtain an associate’s degree or a certification in a variety of vocations, which allows people to go to work quickly.
“For those who do move away for college, we must give them and others a reason to come home,” Biggs said. “If our city can prosper economically and offer a good quality of life, they will have reasons to return.”
Biggs, a Great Bend High School (GBHS) graduate, earned an associate degree from Barton Community College and a bachelor’s from Friends University in Wichita. She is licensed with the Kansas Insurance Department and is a Certified Insurance Counselor. Biggs also completed a two-year program with the Kansas Health Foundation Community Leadership Initiative.
Her volunteer service includes serving previously on the Family Crisis Center Board of Directors; St. Patrick’s School Board; Great Bend United Way Board of Directors; Great Bend Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors; and Kansas Independent Insurance Agents Board of Directors.
In addition, Biggs served as a Chamber Ambassador, and was previously involved with the Chamber’s Youth Leadership Program and the GBHS Booster Club. She is a graduate of Leadership Great Bend.
“All of this goes back to serving my community,” Biggs said. “I have always taken seriously my responsibility to give back to my lifelong hometown. I will bring the same commitment to the city council.”
The candidate and her husband, Craig, have three children – Amanda, Lindsay and Brent.