A salute to an OU alumni

Rochester Hills native and Oakland University graduate, Jenny McCardell, announced her candidacy for Rochester Hills City Council on March 13 for the upcoming election on Nov. 7. McCardell grew up and went to school in the Rochester area. Following high school, she joined the Navy as a medic.

“I joined the U.S. Navy a year after the 9/11 terrorist attacks,” McCardell said. “I joined because I had a motivation to do something to serve our amazing country.”

During her stint in the Navy, McCardell learned that human beings are nothing without one another, and that it doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from if you want to make a difference. McCardell hopes she can use what she learned in the military to make a change in the Rochester Hills community.

“The Navy taught me that it is possible to work with others as a team and perform really important work,” McCardell said. “This is the mentality that I will bring into politics, and one of the strongest reasons why I am running for City Council right now. I believe that you need to be the change that you want to see in the world and I will bring my solutions based, resident focused perspective to Rochester Hills City Council.”

After being honorably discharged from the Navy, McCardell continued her education at George Washington University earning an associate’s degree in laboratory technology. In 2008, McCardell graduated cum laude with a degree in environmental science, and in 2015, earned her master’s in public administration at OU.

“Oakland University is a large enough school that you can receive a world class education, yet small enough, where you can be a student leader and watch your work have a positive effect,” McCardell said. “Oakland University truly prepared me to take part in our community so that I could bring positive changes to our area and I am so grateful for that.”

While working toward her master’s degree, McCardell helped local non-profit organizations and received an understanding of local and state governments.

“We need committed, thoughtful people like [McCardell],” McCardell’s Associate Professor of Biology, Fay Hansen said. “She is someone I could always count on and I am sure that has not changed.”

Now a wife and mother to three children, McCardell is narrowing in on her next goal of becoming a part of City Council. If elected, she plans to manage the city’s growth in regards to public safety and infrastructure including roads, police and fire stations and communicating better with residents in accessibility to local government and transparency.

“I would also like to hold public forums in a more informal setting so residents can address their concerns or offer feedback,” McCardell said. “When a resident has a problem, they may think, ‘I should contact the mayor.’ How many residents ever think that they could contact their elected district or at-large representatives? Not many, I believe. I want to change that. A government with input from our very intelligent and professional residents is the best government, and I think city council can create a better platform to retrieve this input.”

Students can learn more about Jenny McCardell and her candidacy on her website: www.jenny4rochester.com