26-year-old running for mayor

Posted 5/24/16

If elected, she said she wants to install webcams and recording equipment in every room of City Hall since there should be no private meetings. She also said Powell needs to prepare for the possibility of the federal government failing and that she …

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26-year-old running for mayor

Posted

She’s 26 years old and she’s running for mayor.

“I want to be a servant to the people,” said Amber Yager-Wall. “I know what I have seen in Park County and how it has changed and what it used to be like, and I want to get back to the friendlier hometown feeling.”

If elected, she said she wants to install webcams and recording equipment in every room of City Hall since there should be no private meetings. She also said Powell needs to prepare for the possibility of the federal government failing and that she would like to get a new dump going for Powell instead of driving it to Billings.

“You should be held accountable for what you say and we don’t hold politicians accountable,” Yager-Wall said. “We think it is normal for them to lie.”

She said she is scared about running for mayor and of people thinking of her as a novelty.

“I ran because I told so many people I would, that is integrity, doing what you say you will,” Yager-Wall said.

Yager-Wall graduated from Yellowstone Academy in Billings and attended Northwest College for a short time. She said she enjoys studying “real American history” outside of the classroom such as her grandfather’s stories about his time as a radioman in Vietnam.

“My grandpa is on the Agent Orange list, I know what the government does to veterans. It is not right, they are on a watch list after coming home,” Yager-Wall said.

Yager-Wall and her husband ran Game On in Powell for two years, but had to close up shop due to high utility bills and competing against downloaded games, she said.

“Paying as much as we do for garbage is outrageous, it is an example of how we didn’t really fight,” Yager-Wall said. “I’m not here to play nice, I am here to do what is needed for we the people, not we the corporations.”

She said she’s an independent candidate who leans conservatively and aspires to be governor, but does not want to be labeled as a politician — instead, she wants to be labeled as a servant of the people.

“That is what a leader is,” Yager-Wall said. “You go with what the people want; if they want it a certain way, then keep it a certain way.”

Powell needs to give its small businesses a break on utility fees, she said. 

“We aren’t in the best economic situation now, a ton of people are barely getting by,” Yager-Wall said, adding that she is on food stamps and disability. “I want people to realize what I am. I realize what it is like to ask the government for help, and it is not a good feeling — but you do what you do for your family, and as a city we need to come closer to these people. Money is a factor, but so is having compassion for a little person.”

She suggested setting up payment plans for utility bills instead of paying the full fee in one go. She said the local churches helped her when she had a $500 utility bill.

“If I had an agenda, it would be to do what is right in the eyes of God,” she said.

Some of the challenges Powell is facing include less federal assistance and loss of state rights. She noted gay marriage and transgender restrooms as examples and said America has “gone into the Twilight Zone.” She also said that the church shouldn’t get involved in politics.

“We have a card-carrying communist, Clinton, and a reality star who isn’t for little people – he is for big business. Honestly, do you really want a person that the moment he gets angry will nuke someone?” she said.

Getting the public more involved and able to understand local politics is another goal she has in mind.

Yager-Wall said she would like to look into developing alternative energy in Park County and suggested “severely cutting spending,” and being more self-reliant.  

“What we fail to recognize is God will provide for us, if we are good with the lord he will provide for us,” Yager-Wall said.

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