Election Watch 2006
Election Watch 2006
Credit Union Political Spotlight
Cindy Kurtz
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| Cindy Kurtz (right) pictured with Rep. Katie Sieben (left) |
Prior to joining Postal CU in Woodbury, MN as the marketing manager, Cindy was a news reporter (both radio and newspaper) for many years. During that time she learned to be somewhat distrustful of politicians, as many seemed to have a personal agenda that was not necessarily in their constituents’ best interest. All this changed in 2004, however, when she met the State Representative for her district, Katie Sieben. Cindy was participating in Credit Union Day at the Capitol and had not yet met her state legislators, so she made appointments with them to discuss credit union issues. Her first meeting with Sieben (one-on-one) went for a full half hour, during which time they discussed the value of credit unions and the importance of them in their members' lives. Cindy found Sieben to be very gracious, personable, knowledgeable and sincere. In fact, Cindy was so impressed with Sieben, she volunteered to help with her re-election campaign!
Since that first race, Cindy can be found helping out in many capacities: walking in local parades; participating in literature drops (similar to going door-to-door), attending fundraisers and displaying lawn signs. Cindy has started attending town hall meetings, panel discussions and candidate forums. She even served as a delegate at her local Senate district convention.
Cindy has gotten her family involved in politics as well. She brings her 2 children with her to participate in the parades. She always impresses upon them the importance of exercising the right to vote and being involved in the democratic process. She even recently got her husband involved in the political process for the first time in his life!
In addition to supporting Sieben’s race, Cindy is also volunteering for two other local campaigns. One is for the state representative seat being vacated by Sieben (she is running for the state Senate). The other campaign is for the neighboring state representative seat. Sieben says of Cindy, "It is outstanding to have Cindy’s continual support on my campaign. Over the past three elections, she’s walked in parades, gone door to door, and kept me "in the loop" on happenings in our area. Her help is invaluable!"
The rewards have been many for Cindy. For one thing, her feelings towards politicians have changed. Since getting to know Sieben, she now knows there really are sincere and honest officials who genuinely care about their constituents. Above all, Cindy feels more connected to her community and in a position to really make a difference; not just for her community, but for credit unions as well. It has given her opportunities she never had before, as well as expanded her circle of friends. Cindy now has the chance to network with people in a position of power — as a matter of fact, she has gotten to know Sieben’s husband, who serves as 4th District Congresswoman Betty McCollum’s district communications manager.
Cindy joined Postal Credit Union over 11 years ago. She serves as the marketing manager and loves credit unions, as she feels it is living her personal philosophy. Cindy actually worked for a bank at one point early in her career and she sees a big difference in philosophy between the two. She is an active member of GREAT (GrassRoots Education & Action Team) and thoroughly enjoys lobbying her elected officials!
