Former Ohio University professor launches campaign for City Council seat

Solveig Spjeldnes. Courtesy of Solveig Spjeldnes.

Talking to people is important, especially to Solveig Spjeldnes. 

“I think the biggest mistakes that our government, at whatever level, [has] made is when they don’t listen and when they don’t include all the stakeholders in coming up with solutions,” Spjeldnes said.

Spjeldnes, who recently launched a campaign for Athens City Council, is a former Ohio University social work professor. She did not plan on running for City Council, but ultimately decided to after speaking with a current council member and Steve Patterson, the mayor of Athens.

Spjeldnes announced her campaign via Facebook on Jan. 8. She will be running for the First Ward representative seat as a Democrat. 

Spjeldnes’ announcement followed news that current First Ward Representative, Arian Smedley, would not seek re-election. 

Spjeldnes, who was born in Sweden and has lived across the United States, moved to Athens in 2008 to work as a professor in Ohio U’s Department of Social Work. In addition to her master’s degree and doctorate in social work from the University of Pittsburgh, Spjeldnes also has a master’s degree in Instructional Design. 

Spjeldnes said her background teaching social work and policy makes running for Athens City Council a natural next step in her career.

“(Policy and advocacy) are essential ingredients and knowledge base to work in City Council, I think. This is a great new chapter for me, if it works out, that will allow me to do some of the things I love most,” Spjeldnes said. “That’s making sure that we can do as much for people as we can in terms of what they need for their wellbeing and quality of life.”

Spjeldnes said, if elected, her priority would be addressing concerns West Side constituents bring to her attention.

“Leadership is all about building trust, listening, doing your homework, trying to be a reasonable person, honesty, all those character things and really trying to do the best for the people that you serve,” Spjeldnes said. 

Spjeldnes said she sees serving on Council as a job with two parts.

“One of them is to work with Council and with constituents and stakeholders to come up with new policy or adjust existing policies and laws, but the other part is answering people’s concerns when they feel that they have not been heard or they don’t feel that they have a voice,” Spjeldnes said. 

Spjeldnes has the backing of the Athens County Democratic Party. John Haseley, Athens County Democratic Party chair, said the organization intends to support Spjeldnes’ bid for Council.

“I think she’ll be a really thoughtful and active member of Council, and I’ve got a lot of confidence that her problem solving skills and judgement will do well for the city,” Haseley said. “She’s a very serious person. She doesn’t engage in things lightly. If she is going to look into an issue she really studies it and makes sure that she thoroughly understands it.”

Haseley added that he believes Spjeldnes would be a strong advocate for the constituents of the West Side. 

Arian Smedley, current First Ward representative, declined to endorse a specific candidate to replace her in a recent interview. Smedley did say she hopes constituents get to choose between multiple candidates. 

“What I would like to see is multiple people throw their hats in. People deserve a choice, and it would be better if we had more than one,” Smedley said. “I think you get the best out of people if you get a chance to compare them to somebody else.”