1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:05,720 Hello, this is Leslie and I am the host of the Why Not Today podcast. 2 00:00:05,720 --> 00:00:12,200 This podcast is to celebrate people who have been courageous and said, why not today? 3 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:17,080 I started this podcast in honor of my father, Patrick Kane, who often said, why not today? 4 00:00:17,080 --> 00:00:21,360 I am based in Reston, Virginia, a Planned community right outside Washington, DC, and 5 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:22,920 thanks for joining us today. 6 00:00:22,920 --> 00:00:28,680 And I'm super excited for my guest today because although she's got a very courageous story, 7 00:00:28,680 --> 00:00:33,640 she's also a super close, good friend, part of my tribe, and I'm excited to have Danielle 8 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:35,480 Scherff, did I pronounce that right? 9 00:00:35,480 --> 00:00:36,480 Sure did. 10 00:00:36,480 --> 00:00:37,480 Oh, yeah. 11 00:00:37,480 --> 00:00:42,800 As my guest today, and I always talk about connections and how you meet people, and it's 12 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:47,440 kind of funny, and I may have mentioned this before, but when I meet somebody that I know 13 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:53,000 is going to be in my life forever, I exactly remember the time I met them, and I goes back 14 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:57,960 to mutual friend, who was a coach, I was talking to her about coaching me, and she's like, 15 00:00:57,960 --> 00:00:58,960 you know what, I have another idea. 16 00:00:58,960 --> 00:01:03,640 I've got two friends that are in business by themselves, and I would love to do all 17 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:04,640 of us get together. 18 00:01:04,640 --> 00:01:07,760 So I remember exactly where I was sitting when Karen and I had that conversation, and 19 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:10,560 then I met you and just totally fell in love with you. 20 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:16,440 And as I said, you've been, I think, one of the reasons I survived COVID. 21 00:01:16,440 --> 00:01:21,720 We got together a lot and kind of in each other's little pod, and I'm super excited 22 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:24,280 to have you as my guest today. 23 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:28,200 You're going to share courageous things about running for town council. 24 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:30,200 Is that the title? 25 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:31,200 Town council? 26 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:32,200 That's it, yeah, absolutely. 27 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:33,200 So yay. 28 00:01:33,200 --> 00:01:37,720 So welcome, Danielle, and tell us, oh, and then the other kind of fun connection, and 29 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,600 it always somehow goes back to this, is I don't know if I've mentioned before, but I 30 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:43,600 was born in Buffalo, and that's where Danielle's from. 31 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:45,680 So kind of a small world connection. 32 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:51,240 So Danielle, introduce yourself, tell us a little about you and a fun story, a fun fact 33 00:01:51,240 --> 00:01:52,840 we don't know, nobody knows about you. 34 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:55,280 I'm going to think about my fun fact. 35 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:58,080 Well, hello, it is so good to be here with you. 36 00:01:58,080 --> 00:01:59,080 I'm Danielle Scherff. 37 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:02,960 I am running for town council, and I'm really excited about that. 38 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:07,200 But I have to say the thing I'm most excited about this morning is being here with you 39 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:10,240 because I feel like life has gotten so busy. 40 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:14,920 But I will say about our connection, there is rarely a time I leave your company where 41 00:02:14,920 --> 00:02:18,480 I don't feel just invigorated and ready to take on the world. 42 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:19,760 And talk about why not today. 43 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:23,400 Those are the people you need in your life to make that happen. 44 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:24,400 Yep. 45 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,960 So you said town council, so you're running for town council of Herndon, Virginia, who 46 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:32,280 I've had on the podcast before, Lisa Merkel, who started running for town council and then 47 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:35,600 became mayor, or she was in town council and then she was the mayor of Herndon. 48 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:40,240 And Herndon, for those of you listening that aren't local to us, is a little town close 49 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:44,640 to where I live, and a historical town. 50 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:45,640 Historical town. 51 00:02:45,640 --> 00:02:46,640 And so yeah, Danielle, you're running. 52 00:02:46,640 --> 00:02:51,720 So tell us a little about you before we jump into that and a fun fact. 53 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:52,720 Okay. 54 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,280 So I am originally from Buffalo, New York. 55 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:59,760 I think that that informs a whole lot of how I approach the world and why I'm even running 56 00:02:59,760 --> 00:03:01,640 for town council. 57 00:03:01,640 --> 00:03:07,720 I moved to Reston, Virginia in 2008 and a couple of years later then moved to Herndon. 58 00:03:07,720 --> 00:03:10,720 And I picked Herndon because it speaks to my soul. 59 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:17,400 It has sidewalks and streetlights and neighbors and you know the people who you run into in 60 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:22,120 town, and I absolutely love that about this place. 61 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,640 If you've ever been in a room with me, the things that I absolutely can't keep quiet 62 00:03:25,640 --> 00:03:32,960 about are community and caring adult engagement, which we can talk about another time, but 63 00:03:32,960 --> 00:03:36,000 I really feel strongly about contributing to the community that you live in. 64 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,200 And so that's a huge part of who I am. 65 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:40,320 Fun facts about me. 66 00:03:40,320 --> 00:03:44,160 My default fun fact is always about my dog Charlie. 67 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,040 He is my sidekick and I adore him. 68 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:50,160 He's a Dachshund Beagle mix that I rescued seven years ago. 69 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:57,380 And in 2015, Charlie, this tiny puppy and I went to Manhattan and he was in the Discovery 70 00:03:57,380 --> 00:04:01,440 Channel Puppy Bowl and it was the cutest experience of my life. 71 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:06,080 And while it's his accomplishment and not mine, it's definitely a fun fact. 72 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,880 Yeah, I love that about Charlie. 73 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:11,200 So cute. 74 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:12,200 Definitely a part of you. 75 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:16,240 So tell me, Danielle, what does courage mean to you? 76 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:18,600 What does courage mean to me? 77 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:19,840 You know, I struggle with that word. 78 00:04:19,840 --> 00:04:24,800 I mean, there's big terms like that, like courage and resilience that I really struggle 79 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:32,680 with because it always reverberates to me to you had to overcome something. 80 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:37,000 So I think prevailing is what I think of when I think of courage. 81 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:42,960 And I'm really motivated by prevailing in situations that are especially difficult. 82 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:48,840 But there's a part of me where that I just feel like, oh, if we all didn't have to be 83 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:53,760 so courageous and so resilient all the time, what could we accomplish? 84 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:56,840 And you know, ask everybody that question. 85 00:04:56,840 --> 00:05:02,680 And ultimately, my goal is to have a little courage cards and courage votes for everybody. 86 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:04,200 But everybody's answer is different. 87 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,760 But a lot of people, you know, it's overcoming it. 88 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:13,000 But a lot of people say it's taking that one step, doing those little things and they add 89 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:14,000 up. 90 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:17,240 So I know we talked about your running for town council. 91 00:05:17,240 --> 00:05:20,600 So let's talk about the courage it took to that to do that. 92 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:24,480 And you just know you said when we came on originally, this is the hardest thing you've 93 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:25,480 ever done. 94 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:30,400 So let's talk about running for town council and what that looks like and why you're doing 95 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:32,440 it and all those things. 96 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:34,000 There is a great story behind that. 97 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:39,160 I like I said, when I moved here, I felt really strongly that when I decided to live here, 98 00:05:39,160 --> 00:05:41,760 I decided to really be a part of this community. 99 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:46,240 And I have been, you know, I'm engaged in a lot of different community organizations. 100 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,600 I help people really address problems in their communities. 101 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:51,600 And I am always cheering this town on. 102 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:56,560 Like you said, Herndon is a small town, about 35 minutes outside of D.C. It's about four 103 00:05:56,560 --> 00:05:59,040 square miles. 104 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:03,800 And unlike a lot of the places around us, it feels like a naturally occurring neighborhood. 105 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:06,400 All of the houses don't look the same. 106 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:07,400 The streets are different. 107 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:12,240 There's different, I would say, pockets in town that have a very different description 108 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:14,880 from one another. 109 00:06:14,880 --> 00:06:17,520 And I love every inch of it. 110 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:21,680 Now I will say I am a political beast. 111 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:25,480 You know, not a partisan person, but I really love the chess game of politics and I follow 112 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:26,480 it pretty closely. 113 00:06:26,480 --> 00:06:31,360 But I believe that real change comes at the local level, the change that people could 114 00:06:31,360 --> 00:06:35,840 feel and the change that people could be a part of happens right where you live. 115 00:06:35,840 --> 00:06:41,760 And I'm lucky that Herndon has one of the few local municipal governments in the state 116 00:06:41,760 --> 00:06:42,760 of Virginia. 117 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:47,600 So the town council in Herndon is six council seats and the mayor. 118 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:54,040 And they work closely with the chief of police and the town manager to make this town run. 119 00:06:54,040 --> 00:07:01,800 And I really thought that it was time for me to take what I do in sort of a more, I 120 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:06,720 don't want to say casual, but less formal way and formalize it. 121 00:07:06,720 --> 00:07:10,480 Take a position of leadership in this new way. 122 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:12,840 And so I decided to run for council. 123 00:07:12,840 --> 00:07:15,080 I knew this would be hard work. 124 00:07:15,080 --> 00:07:17,720 I had no idea how much work this would be. 125 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:18,720 Yeah. 126 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:20,600 I admire you for doing this. 127 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:21,600 Nothing I would ever cap. 128 00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:27,880 What is hard about it and what's taking courage to prevail? 129 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,120 So the courage, I mean, there's a couple, I feel like the courage and flexion points 130 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:34,920 are making the decision to do it. 131 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:38,560 So is it one thing you just woke up one morning and say, I'm going to do this or is it been 132 00:07:38,560 --> 00:07:41,920 something you thought about for a long time or? 133 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:45,080 No, I knew that I would run for something at some point. 134 00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:46,080 I always did. 135 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:50,120 And I come from this family that has, I'll tell you a really interesting story about 136 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:51,120 my mom recently. 137 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:57,560 I come from a family that has always been, if not engaged in the political process, really, 138 00:07:57,560 --> 00:07:59,880 really excited about voting. 139 00:07:59,880 --> 00:08:05,080 And I think back on a lot of times growing up when my grandfather was a committeeman 140 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:09,640 and people would show up on their porch unannounced and just ask for help or just talk to him 141 00:08:09,640 --> 00:08:11,120 about something going on in the neighborhood. 142 00:08:11,120 --> 00:08:14,840 And I'm sure you had that happen too, because your dad was sort of an unofficial community 143 00:08:14,840 --> 00:08:16,520 ombudsman too. 144 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:18,720 But I was always a part of it. 145 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:22,200 I was definitely in a family that they didn't separate the kids from the adults very much. 146 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:24,400 And so I got to see all of that happening. 147 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:30,000 And my uncles worked for Public Works and then eventually started helping folks get 148 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:31,720 elected in the community. 149 00:08:31,720 --> 00:08:35,120 So I got to see the mechanics of how that works. 150 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:40,920 And the story of my family is my great grandparents came here from Sicily and they were so excited 151 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:43,720 to vote that that was the reason why they learned English. 152 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:48,680 And there's a picture somewhere that I can't put my hands on, but the two of them, my 153 00:08:48,680 --> 00:08:55,440 great grandparents dressed up to walk to the end of their street to vote. 154 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:57,880 And they were so happy to do it. 155 00:08:57,880 --> 00:09:01,600 So I was just confirming all these facts that I knew as sort of like community or family 156 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:02,600 lore with my mom. 157 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:06,200 And I said, you know, mom, why didn't any of them ever run? 158 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:09,360 And it seemed like a really innocent question. 159 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:10,720 And she was quiet for a second. 160 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:14,080 And then she said, they just didn't feel like it was their place. 161 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:20,120 And it really took me a second, you know, it took me back because these people whose 162 00:09:20,120 --> 00:09:23,760 intentions were good, that were smart, that were engaged, that were living in the community 163 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:27,920 that they wanted to serve, they didn't feel like it was their place, Leslie. 164 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:33,040 And I think that's the point where I said, I have to have the courage to do this because 165 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:35,080 I'm the next step in this chain. 166 00:09:35,080 --> 00:09:39,860 All the things that they did got me to this place so that I could be the one who does 167 00:09:39,860 --> 00:09:40,860 the next thing. 168 00:09:40,860 --> 00:09:42,420 And the next thing was running. 169 00:09:42,420 --> 00:09:43,720 So I have to do this. 170 00:09:43,720 --> 00:09:44,720 I have to. 171 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:46,120 That's awesome. 172 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:51,480 And I know that definitely took courage to put your hat in the ring. 173 00:09:51,480 --> 00:09:55,520 And yes, Tommy, what does it look like? 174 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:56,520 What are you doing? 175 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:57,520 How can people help you? 176 00:09:57,520 --> 00:09:58,520 Oh, my gosh. 177 00:09:58,520 --> 00:09:59,520 What a great question. 178 00:09:59,520 --> 00:10:04,200 It is a lot of getting out in the community and talking to folks. 179 00:10:04,200 --> 00:10:06,560 I have lots of events that I'm going to tonight. 180 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:12,120 For example, there's a Meet the Candidates night sponsored by the Dulles Chamber of Commerce. 181 00:10:12,120 --> 00:10:16,240 And that's terrific because everyone who's running will be in the same room. 182 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:20,320 And if someone has a question or if they just want to walk through and meet everyone and 183 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:21,920 see the materials, they can do that. 184 00:10:21,920 --> 00:10:24,640 So it's a very easy thing to be a part of. 185 00:10:24,640 --> 00:10:29,560 But if you want to have some hard-hitting conversations, it's absolutely an option. 186 00:10:29,560 --> 00:10:36,960 I have been doing everything from I have a trunk or tree coming up with the candidates. 187 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:39,040 We have Herndon Parade this weekend. 188 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:40,920 So we'll have a float in the parade. 189 00:10:40,920 --> 00:10:44,760 It has been nonstop events for several months. 190 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:46,040 And we're starting to canvas. 191 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:50,240 So we're going door to door, knocking on doors, talking to folks, making sure to leave information 192 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:54,320 so that they're as informed as they can be to make the decision that they need to make 193 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:55,320 on November 3rd. 194 00:10:55,320 --> 00:10:56,320 Yeah, that's awesome. 195 00:10:56,320 --> 00:10:58,320 I mean, you are doing all the things. 196 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:02,480 And it's getting and I think Lisa Merkel said, too, what she loved is she just got out and 197 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:03,480 talked to people. 198 00:11:03,480 --> 00:11:08,720 Yeah, and that's what she said she loved so much about being on the council and the mayor 199 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:12,000 is just getting to know people and talking to people. 200 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:16,480 And it always like where I live at, like, again, when I walk around the morning, walk 201 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:20,880 around the lake and see people and the stores are starting to open up and things are kind 202 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:22,120 of buzzing down there. 203 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:24,440 It always reminds me of Sesame Street. 204 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:25,440 Who do you know in your neighborhood? 205 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:26,440 Absolutely. 206 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:27,440 That's my ringtone. 207 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:28,440 So important. 208 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:29,440 What? 209 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:32,560 Who are the people in your neighborhood is my ringtone. 210 00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:33,560 It's my favorite song. 211 00:11:33,560 --> 00:11:34,560 Really? 212 00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:35,560 I did not know that. 213 00:11:35,560 --> 00:11:40,640 So yeah, getting out and meeting people and sharing your views. 214 00:11:40,640 --> 00:11:43,480 So what do you want to see? 215 00:11:43,480 --> 00:11:45,680 How do you want Herndon to be different? 216 00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:49,680 What do you want to make or why? 217 00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:51,440 Where do you see you can make a difference? 218 00:11:51,440 --> 00:11:57,720 So I have to first say that you mentioned Lisa Merkel and she was the mayor before the 219 00:11:57,720 --> 00:11:59,060 current mayor. 220 00:11:59,060 --> 00:12:04,460 And she worked tirelessly to take Herndon from kind of a dark place in its history to 221 00:12:04,460 --> 00:12:07,800 this inflection point where we are now. 222 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:13,920 And there is so much growth just on the verge of happening in Herndon. 223 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:17,760 And it's so exciting, especially for me coming from Buffalo where things had a tendency to 224 00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:18,960 stall out. 225 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:27,200 I am feeling so encouraged but so much responsibility for Herndon right this minute because we have 226 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:31,120 this opportunity to sort of craft what the future looks like. 227 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:34,840 What we have this responsibility to craft what the future looks like. 228 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:38,120 Herndon is getting a new metro stop too in fact. 229 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:39,600 And that's a big deal. 230 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:46,720 And we're sort of in this nebulous middle of redeveloping our tiny historic downtown. 231 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:51,040 And there's a big piece of property in the center that we have an agreement with a local 232 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:54,080 developer Comstock to redevelop for us. 233 00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:57,560 And there's a plan and it's signed and it's all ready to go. 234 00:12:57,560 --> 00:13:03,040 But the pandemic and supply chain issues have forced the developer to take a pause on the 235 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:04,040 project. 236 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:08,340 So one of the things that's very important to me is to make sure that that project gets 237 00:13:08,340 --> 00:13:14,800 top priority and that we both love and pressure our partners to do the best thing for this 238 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:15,800 town. 239 00:13:15,800 --> 00:13:22,680 I feel like I say this a lot but when a project like that in the middle of town that's very 240 00:13:22,680 --> 00:13:28,960 visible that people have put so much time and energy and effort and feeling into stalls. 241 00:13:28,960 --> 00:13:32,920 It could really erode what a community feels about itself and that could have reverberations 242 00:13:32,920 --> 00:13:34,360 for a long time. 243 00:13:34,360 --> 00:13:35,760 And I don't want that for Herndon. 244 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:38,400 So that's a top priority for me. 245 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:42,320 And you know we're coming out of the pandemic and facing growth. 246 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:46,640 So we had this sort of scale back and now we need to scale up. 247 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:48,140 And that's a lot for any town. 248 00:13:48,140 --> 00:13:55,120 So again it's going to take some really good leadership to stay mindful to all of the things 249 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:59,280 that make us a great place right now and all the people who have contributed their heart 250 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:04,280 and soul and their family life to making Herndon what it is that was so appealing to me and 251 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:07,280 so appealing to other people when they see it and want to live here. 252 00:14:07,280 --> 00:14:13,640 And then being a steward of what's to come and making the best decisions so that the 253 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:16,480 next generation feels great about living here too. 254 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:19,400 Right and Herndon is definitely a unique place. 255 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:20,400 How many people live in Herndon? 256 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:21,400 You know the population? 257 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:22,400 Under 30,000. 258 00:14:22,400 --> 00:14:23,400 Really? 259 00:14:23,400 --> 00:14:24,400 Yeah. 260 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:29,600 And so and I always talk about the connection with my dad at the end but there's way too 261 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:31,520 many connections with this. 262 00:14:31,520 --> 00:14:39,520 So I grew up in Reston and the next town I'm over for people that don't know is Herndon. 263 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:44,680 And growing up that was like our backyard and actually we didn't even go to high school 264 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:49,120 because high school was built the year I started high school in the Westbrook room for us on 265 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:50,760 the side of Westbrook when I lived there. 266 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:57,000 So I went to Herndon High School and was totally heard of Herndon and you know done tons in 267 00:14:57,000 --> 00:15:02,400 Herndon and go back to my dad and I think it was like a couple years ago but obviously 268 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:05,800 not but he worked for the town of Herndon. 269 00:15:05,800 --> 00:15:09,520 They hired him as a developer and working in a community. 270 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:14,400 He was a community planner and what he really did is went into town and revitalized them. 271 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:20,120 And so he did several towns in New York Batavia which is right outside of Buffalo and that's 272 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:25,320 actually where he worked as his first job as community planner was in Buffalo but then 273 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:26,320 he worked for Herndon. 274 00:15:26,320 --> 00:15:29,320 And I don't know how long it's been. 275 00:15:29,320 --> 00:15:30,800 We need to ask Mr. Downer. 276 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:37,720 He would know how long it's been because it has been a long time. 277 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:43,080 But a lot of the ideas that he worked on that they just couldn't get pushed to happen. 278 00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,520 They had lots of resistance and just didn't come to fruition. 279 00:15:46,520 --> 00:15:51,880 Finally I think Lisa Merkel came into office and things started happening that they talked 280 00:15:51,880 --> 00:15:55,920 about like the sign coming into Herndon that welcomed Herndon. 281 00:15:55,920 --> 00:16:00,400 That was one of the ideas I came up with when he was working in town. 282 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:05,400 And I think it was 30 years ago if not longer than that. 283 00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:07,520 Your dad's a visionary. 284 00:16:07,520 --> 00:16:13,320 There are just I feel imprints in the sand before me wherever I am of your dad. 285 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:18,160 And it's so interesting because I met you and I didn't know anything about Pat Kane 286 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:22,440 but through the process of just coming into the selection season and leading up to it 287 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:25,760 there are so many connections. 288 00:16:25,760 --> 00:16:28,040 I feel like he's right before me in all of these things. 289 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:31,600 I know I'm going in the right direction because I see where Pat Kane was before me. 290 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:35,800 It's interesting when talking to Lisa Merkel. 291 00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,240 She's like I never met your dad and I didn't know who your dad was. 292 00:16:39,240 --> 00:16:43,240 I heard her name and Lisa was very kind and sat down with my mom. 293 00:16:43,240 --> 00:16:47,040 My mom brought her all the history stuff that my dad had for the office. 294 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:48,040 In his office. 295 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:52,080 About Herndon and brought it to Lisa and Lisa sat and talked to my mom for a long time after 296 00:16:52,080 --> 00:16:54,480 my dad had passed away. 297 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:56,360 And Lisa's like I never knew your dad. 298 00:16:56,360 --> 00:17:03,480 But after he passed away I was talking to Mr. Downer and he said something about it 299 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:04,800 was right after my dad had passed away. 300 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:05,800 He said something about it. 301 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:08,800 I wish I would have met him from time to time. 302 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:12,880 And then somehow the way he looked to see if the eye patch on Handelbarr mustache came 303 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:15,520 up that Mr. Downer said something about it. 304 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:16,520 And Lisa's like I know him. 305 00:17:16,520 --> 00:17:17,520 I saw him a while. 306 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:20,520 I had no idea who that character was. 307 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:21,520 Yeah. 308 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:26,000 I mean you bring up a really good point. 309 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:30,000 I've lived here since 2015 in Herndon. 310 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:32,000 And it's been that long. 311 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:33,000 It has. 312 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:34,880 I know. 313 00:17:34,880 --> 00:17:36,360 But it's needed to be that long. 314 00:17:36,360 --> 00:17:38,080 And I'll tell you in a second. 315 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:42,680 But I had the opportunity to meet your dad's contemporaries. 316 00:17:42,680 --> 00:17:45,640 You know Les Lidell and Richard Downer. 317 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:52,360 They were always so quick to mentor and always so quick to say let me tell you the history 318 00:17:52,360 --> 00:17:54,360 of this thing. 319 00:17:54,360 --> 00:17:58,440 And you know we lost Les during the pandemic and Richard and Linda have recently moved 320 00:17:58,440 --> 00:17:59,440 to North Carolina. 321 00:17:59,440 --> 00:18:07,320 And so it was like just that tiny little overlap right where I got to meet them. 322 00:18:07,320 --> 00:18:10,160 And you know talking to your mom about your dad's priorities. 323 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:14,000 She was so good to me when I asked her you know talk about courage. 324 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:18,360 I asked your mom very frankly what was this like for your family to have your husband 325 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:20,200 so engaged in the community. 326 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:26,360 How did that feel for your life because that's a huge part of this journey. 327 00:18:26,360 --> 00:18:31,440 You know every time I take a big step I think what does this do to this amazing life that 328 00:18:31,440 --> 00:18:33,160 I have already. 329 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:34,840 Because life is pretty good here. 330 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:36,880 You know this area is wonderful. 331 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:39,320 Our tribe of friends is wonderful. 332 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:40,320 There's so much opportunity. 333 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:46,000 I have never been in a community and I love Buffalo with all my heart. 334 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:51,200 But I have I've never been in a community so accepting of new ideas. 335 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:53,780 And I joke with with people all the time. 336 00:18:53,780 --> 00:18:56,720 You can say you want to try or do anything here. 337 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:00,160 And the person you're talking to will say oh my gosh have you talked to this other person 338 00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:02,400 or oh I know something like that. 339 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:06,880 Everyone wants to make a connection and lift you up and help you towards your purpose. 340 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:07,880 And what an amazing thing. 341 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:09,720 And that's been the same thing in Herndon. 342 00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:12,760 You know there's there's always some people that are going to be adversely and difficult. 343 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:16,320 But for the most part people want to help you along because they see that you're taking 344 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:18,680 on something that's important everyone. 345 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:19,760 Right. 346 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:24,880 And I think your point about helping connect you is definitely not everybody. 347 00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:30,400 But I think you like me are connectors and we are there to help other people. 348 00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:37,960 And I think we are attract those kind of people in our life that you know that a lot of people 349 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:41,400 do not do that and aren't like that. 350 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:46,880 But it's funny there's a podcast that Jim was going into her and he was going to interview 351 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:51,360 him on a podcast that Jim was going into her and he walked in to people in the palette where 352 00:19:51,360 --> 00:19:53,520 my friend Robin was the other day. 353 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:57,360 Three of us were talking women and he walked in and we're all like have you met this person? 354 00:19:57,360 --> 00:19:58,360 Do you want to do this? 355 00:19:58,360 --> 00:19:59,360 Let's do this. 356 00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:03,360 And he probably walked out the door with his head spinning. 357 00:20:03,360 --> 00:20:06,360 He's like who the heck did I just meet? 358 00:20:06,360 --> 00:20:07,360 A better friend. 359 00:20:07,360 --> 00:20:08,360 He's like wow. 360 00:20:08,360 --> 00:20:09,360 He had no idea. 361 00:20:09,360 --> 00:20:13,360 But yeah I think we attract people like that. 362 00:20:13,360 --> 00:20:17,000 And I want to share that right? 363 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:20,040 Like that's amazing Leslie that you are a connector. 364 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:21,040 I am a connector. 365 00:20:21,040 --> 00:20:22,160 It's just how we operate. 366 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:25,640 But when I meet folks that don't have that or aren't that I just want to coach them because 367 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:27,720 I feel like if they knew about it they totally would do it. 368 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,720 It's too important not to. 369 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:34,160 Herndon this is one thing that I think is really important that I don't think it's talked about 370 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:35,160 enough. 371 00:20:35,160 --> 00:20:38,440 Herndon is a minority majority town. 372 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:44,000 And that minority is primarily Hispanic but not only Hispanic. 373 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,800 And our Hispanic community is primarily Mayan. 374 00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:52,320 So they're Guatemalan and from Belize and they're from that part of the world. 375 00:20:52,320 --> 00:20:58,360 And I think that part of my task moving forward is making sure that that connection and that 376 00:20:58,360 --> 00:21:05,200 invitation and that everybody's welcome at the table reaches more deeply into that community 377 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:12,680 because there is sort of an unintentional but no less unexcusable break. 378 00:21:12,680 --> 00:21:14,320 You know it seems pretty separate. 379 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:19,760 And so I don't think it's not out of malice or anything negative. 380 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:22,160 It's just we need to do a better job of reaching out to each other. 381 00:21:22,160 --> 00:21:24,720 And so that's part of the goal for me. 382 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:26,600 Yeah and connecting. 383 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:28,400 Connecting yeah. 384 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:34,680 Yeah because the vision of Herndon has always been you know historical old school from what 385 00:21:34,680 --> 00:21:36,280 I got growing up. 386 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:38,320 You know Reston was the new place. 387 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:41,680 Herndon was the old place. 388 00:21:41,680 --> 00:21:46,040 And almost like we're kind of more country than Reston. 389 00:21:46,040 --> 00:21:51,880 I don't know if I want you to go to Herndon which is so funny. 390 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:56,720 That's so funny because you grew up here and so you have this like big institutional knowledge 391 00:21:56,720 --> 00:21:57,720 of this place. 392 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:01,400 And I think a lot of people who live in Herndon still think of it as like a dairy town. 393 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:08,160 And as someone who didn't grow up here truly 35 minutes outside of the capital of the free 394 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:14,520 world I cannot think of this place as anything other than just barely suburban. 395 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:19,360 And I think there's so much about Herndon that is it toggles small town and urban. 396 00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:20,840 I love that. 397 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:21,840 I love that. 398 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:25,240 But it's funny you're not the only one who said yeah small sleepy country town. 399 00:22:25,240 --> 00:22:26,240 What? 400 00:22:26,240 --> 00:22:38,040 And then I love the historical part and the old houses and the history and so many things 401 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:41,600 because Reston is only 59 years old. 402 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:46,480 So Herndon is a lot older. 403 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:51,360 So what else? 404 00:22:51,360 --> 00:23:00,320 So we talked about so anything in life other things you've done courageous or something 405 00:23:00,320 --> 00:23:04,720 you wish you would have done or no and we talked earlier I'm going to interview for 406 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:07,160 other things that you've done. 407 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:14,840 So I feel like there are a handful of things that have been my courageous things. 408 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:19,200 You know I started my own business 10 years ago and that was a big deal. 409 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:23,280 I moved here from upstate New York really for a temporary job. 410 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:27,480 It was a six month position and never looked back. 411 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:33,160 I do brave things and I think brave things for me shake me out of my rut and it's always 412 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:35,120 good for me to take on a new challenge. 413 00:23:35,120 --> 00:23:38,680 I will tell you at this point in my life and this is the hardest thing this is part of 414 00:23:38,680 --> 00:23:41,880 this just being like I'm at a growth moment so I will keep saying this is the hardest 415 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:45,480 thing but I am growing. 416 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:50,080 The challenge right now the brave thing is staying you know doubling down and saying 417 00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:58,800 no this is home for me this is where I put down roots and the bravery is when it's hard 418 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:05,040 when it's good when it needs more work when I'm exhausted when I'm inspired all of it 419 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,800 I'm staying and that's my great thing right now. 420 00:24:08,800 --> 00:24:16,320 Yeah and it probably takes bravery every morning out of bed and keep going with this and I 421 00:24:16,320 --> 00:24:20,960 know something you're like as soon as the election is over I have to do this but until 422 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:22,440 then you can't. 423 00:24:22,440 --> 00:24:26,200 Yeah yeah yeah it's taken up every every possible minute. 424 00:24:26,200 --> 00:24:31,840 I get up extra early because it's still the business to run and I plan my day really carefully 425 00:24:31,840 --> 00:24:37,560 and I collapse in bed at three in the morning with a list for the next day but that's the 426 00:24:37,560 --> 00:24:43,600 name of the game and that you know everyone says more women should run and more young 427 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:49,280 people should run and I feel like there's a bigger project coming behind this for me 428 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:53,000 because there's always a bigger project coming behind this. 429 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:57,920 You know to ask that of a single person to ask that of a woman who has a family I think 430 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:02,720 that's a bigger ask than for someone who doesn't fit those descriptions because we're already 431 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:10,880 pushed you know our time is already precious and so you know how many women and young people 432 00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:12,880 can really do this. 433 00:25:12,880 --> 00:25:18,720 If you work with somebody else, you didn't have your own business. 434 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:23,200 But then again if you work with somebody else you're getting that constant paycheck which 435 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:27,040 now you still have to work to keep you're not just getting paid. 436 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:28,040 Absolutely. 437 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:32,160 Yeah so a whole different scenario. 438 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:41,840 So what advice would you give somebody to be courageous or say why not today and do 439 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,400 that thing that you're doing. 440 00:25:45,400 --> 00:25:48,680 So I think you're partially doing it. 441 00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:52,960 I don't know if you've ever talked about this but when you first showed me for Christmas 442 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:58,280 you gave me a why not today mug and when I pulled it out of the bag I started to cry 443 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:04,520 because I was so moved by that idea and I was so moved that you were going to encourage 444 00:26:04,520 --> 00:26:10,320 people to take their why not today step and I'm tearing up right now. 445 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:14,120 And I think why not today is just a far more beautiful far more encouraging way to say 446 00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:17,760 well what's the worst that could happen and I think that's where I usually start well 447 00:26:17,760 --> 00:26:19,960 what's the worst that can happen. 448 00:26:19,960 --> 00:26:30,320 And my my advice would be take the first step over your fear and give it a try. 449 00:26:30,320 --> 00:26:33,760 The worst thing that could happen is that you end up where you started and the best 450 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,960 thing that could happen will defy your wildest dreams. 451 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:39,720 Right. 452 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:44,480 And you know there's something somebody was going to write a book and decided not to and 453 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:50,480 sometimes the why not today is okay I tried that on not for me but I tried and decided 454 00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:51,480 to. 455 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:58,280 I was going to say I interviewed somebody that went to school for engineering and didn't 456 00:26:58,280 --> 00:26:59,280 go that often. 457 00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:04,200 I was just talking to a friend of mine yesterday whose son is in school for engineering and 458 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:08,560 doing an internship and not sure that's where he wants to be going. 459 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:09,560 That's okay. 460 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:16,400 I think that you know maybe it's not the engineering degree or the book or the election that you're 461 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,400 supposed to be doing but maybe that's the step you needed to take to get to the thing 462 00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:20,800 you are supposed to be doing. 463 00:27:20,800 --> 00:27:24,760 I mean if I would have not taken my courageous step to move here I wouldn't have started 464 00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:29,320 my business if I wouldn't have taken the courageous step to start my business I wouldn't have 465 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:33,440 met you and if I wouldn't have met you we wouldn't you know it goes on and on and on 466 00:27:33,440 --> 00:27:37,160 and it all led me to this moment right here and I know this is the right moment for me 467 00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:39,760 I know where I'm supposed to be that I'm living my purpose. 468 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:40,760 That's awesome. 469 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:45,120 I love that and it's interesting you talking about those moments and I talked to a friend 470 00:27:45,120 --> 00:27:49,160 of mine like the connections and where you met that person. 471 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:55,280 So I always share you know tie it back to my dad with this podcast honoring him and 472 00:27:55,280 --> 00:28:00,840 so if I look back like I met you because of Karen and I met Karen and got to know Karen 473 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:03,600 because of my dad. 474 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:07,480 That Karen was my dad and we changed a few years ago and I didn't really know Karen very 475 00:28:07,480 --> 00:28:12,720 well and so my dad passed away and it's up this way back. 476 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:19,520 So connection to my dad we can go on a Buffalo we can go to the town of Curned in meeting 477 00:28:19,520 --> 00:28:21,840 you because of my dad because of Karen. 478 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:29,800 Tell me about your team being involved and you totally touched my heart when you did 479 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:35,000 cry when I gave you the wine with the sake of like and that you said that you were thinking 480 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:42,400 about running and that was the kind of the following from my dad. 481 00:28:42,400 --> 00:28:49,520 And you know there was this gentleness about the canes and I think if you meet the canes 482 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:52,760 in the wild you wouldn't know that there's this gentleness because you are just you know 483 00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:57,320 you're like a bunch of puppies you love each other you're loud it's wonderful but the 484 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,920 encouragement that I've gotten from your dad and from you and from your mom and from your 485 00:29:00,920 --> 00:29:08,760 sisters has been this gentle warm nudge of well obviously you're going to do this and 486 00:29:08,760 --> 00:29:13,640 that's been that's been sort of the kindness that I've needed through this so I owe you 487 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:14,640 a thank you. 488 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:20,520 And I also want to say like this is really important because you're talking about courage 489 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:25,640 and starting something big and new just because you have the courage to do something doesn't 490 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:32,280 mean it won't be really hard and I don't think we say that enough it'll be a struggle you 491 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:36,160 might want to give up sometimes you might have good and bad days there's these slumps 492 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:40,600 and these peaks but and it'll be hard but it's worth it it's worth it. 493 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:44,680 A friend of mine has a tag line so we can do hard things. 494 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:45,680 Absolutely. 495 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:52,000 And you know I'm always going to like what you do but doing the hard things you come 496 00:29:52,000 --> 00:29:55,920 out afterwards like stronger and crazier. 497 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:56,920 Yes absolutely. 498 00:29:56,920 --> 00:30:04,000 So well we can talk ever now or never but thank you for being on and so I'm going to 499 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:09,880 share with this podcast when I post it where everybody can find you so I'll have you share 500 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:10,880 that with me. 501 00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:19,040 You can find the podcast on iTunes or Spotify and I think Google now eventually be on YouTube 502 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:24,000 or on the website. 503 00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:29,120 Have Why Not Today t-shirts, Why Not Today tops, vinyl so we're trying to spread the 504 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:31,520 word just to say why not today. 505 00:30:31,520 --> 00:30:36,320 So Danielle thank you for saying why not today and carrying on my dad's legacy with the 506 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:40,400 Town of Herndon making a difference and I so admire you for doing this. 507 00:30:40,400 --> 00:30:42,600 Thank you so much for having me. 508 00:30:42,600 --> 00:30:43,600 You're welcome. 509 00:30:43,600 --> 00:30:47,200 So just everybody remember to say why not today. 510 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:48,200 Bye. 511 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:49,200 Bye. 512 00:30:49,200 --> 00:31:18,200 Bye.