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Show She took opportunity to serve Farmington Dillree never ducked a challenge u i i I I i " i ill - 1 1 )4Vj . . r ' " .. .- Ktaift. Jkk ... , ........... By MARK EDDIN(; ION Staff Writer FARMINGTON Many people peo-ple take cover or run when presented with a challenge or opportunity op-portunity to serve their community. ', Then there are people like retiring Farmington City Councilwoman Marda Dillree who don't flinch and ' have difficulty saying no. Whether it was approving an RDA blight project to fund capital ' improvements, hiring new people to ' head departments within the city or ; debating the merits of the location of a sexual abuse treatment center for both victims and offenders, Dillree has been there and often played an instrumental role in the outcome of issues that could well determine the direction of Farm- r ington for years. "Marda is really as effective a city council member as I have ever seen. She has worked on a consen-' consen-' sus basis and did a lot of the hard work in the committees. She really leaves some good work behind her," said Greg Bell, who has served serv-ed with Dillree on the council and on several committees over the past four years. He also lauded Dillree for her participation in formulating a master plan, five-year capital improvement im-provement plan and other long-range long-range goals for Farmington. Devoted, hardworking, creative and positive are a few of the adjectives adjec-tives used by Bell and other council members and staff to describe Dillree. Commitment and caring are some terms Dillree stresses and that others would say characterize her years of involvement in service to her community. It is a commitment that has carried car-ried Dillree to exemplary, service in a long list of positions she has held since moving to Farmington with her family 18 years ago. Before she was elected to the council in 1987, Dillree served on the planning commission and as a Parent Teacher Association president for Farmington Elementary School. Other positions include a stint on the school board, and as a member of state PTA committee on child abuse. As president of a local PTA council, Dillree played a critical role in winning approval and funding fun-ding for the construction of Knowlton Elementary School despite substantial opposition, perhaps foreshadowing future challenges she would face while serving on the council. Singling out highlights during her four-year term on the council is difficult, Dillree said. The bond election which gave the city the authorization au-thorization to build a new public safety complex and the hiring of new police and fire chiefs and full-time full-time directors for recreation and public works, are two memorable milestones accomplished over her term. "There's been so many major accomplishments during the last four years, it would be hard for me to single out just one, ' Dillree said. Equally difficult, is the task of recalling the most exhilarating and funny moments. Dillree said many of them came late at night during meetings when virtually everyone in attendance, both the public and members of the press, had left for the evening. She recalls the frustration frustra-tion of going home and being unable to share some of those moments with her family because everyone was fast asleep. "We'd successfully negotiate a tough situation or go through a list of 40 job applicants and come up with the right choice and there was a real feeling of excitement and accomplishment. ac-complishment. Unfortunately, sometimes there were not too many people to share that with. There was no one there, she said. Another challenge was the apathy and Johnny-come-lately approach ap-proach of a few residents who would never express an interest or offer an opinion on municipal government unless it was something that affected them directly. direct-ly. If it weren't for criticism, Dillree said, some staff and council members would receive little recognition rec-ognition at all. Nevertheless, it is an experience she said she wouldn't trade for anything. "I know in my heart that my service ser-vice opportunities have given me numerous opportunities to meet wonderful people I wouldn't have met otherwise. It has helped me to learn and gain confidence in my .ability. , Dillree can't remember a time when service wasn't an integral part of her life. Bom and raised in the Sacramento, Calif, area, she said she was always one to volunteer for every committee. "I don't know what sparked that in me. None of my family was inclined in-clined that way," she said. Dillree moved to Farmington with her husband Steve, an auto wholesaler, about 1973. They have raised three sons and are proud of their two grandchildren. Even though none of her family has shown much of an inclination to follow in her political footsteps, Dillree said they have filled the role of constructive critics and supported sup-ported her 100 percent in her endeavors. "We're still sweethearts after 28 years," is how she describes her relationship re-lationship with her husband. "He has never complained about meetings, the long hours or the time I spent studying the issues." He was, however, instrumental in Dillree's decision not to run for reelection. The leading vote-getter in 1987, winning another council bid would probably have been a cinch. But Dillree said her husband felt it was time for her to give politics poli-tics a rest. It is a time she is looking toward devoting more time with her grandchildren and in her full-time job as a public relations coordinator for Cellular One. It is also a time she would like to work on some other goals that her civic duties have relegated to the backburner. One of those goals is to take some classes at the University of Utah and finish a degree in public pub-lic relations. Another is to devote more time to her hobbies. An avid cyclist and tennis player, Dillree said there probably isn't a sport one could name that she doesn't like. What about professional wrestling? wrestl-ing? "Okay, so I guess there is one," she said, laughing. Nevertheless, Diliree likes enough sports to feel comfortable in describing herself as an outdoors person. She doesn't plan a life of leisure over the next few years and won't rule out another run for office for elective office. Where running is concerned, Dillree like former James Bond actor Sean Connery, prefers to "Never say never." In the interim she plans to train with a friend to run the St. George Maruthon, all 26.2 grueling miles of it. "If you print that, I guess I'm going go-ing to have to do it," she said, laughing once more. Just before Christmas, city staff and other workers mingled with council members and others to share food and memories at an annual an-nual holiday luncheon. For Dillree, it was both painful and exhilarating; painful because she realized she won't be working with them on a day-to-day basis and exhilarating because of fond memories of all the work accomplished and friendships formed over the past four years. "Saying goodbye is never easy," she said. Retiring Farmington City Councilwoman Marda Dillree only served for one term on the governmental body, but was termed by associates as being "very effective." Her work on several committee for Farmington will be felt for many years to come, her cohorts added. |