Karen Spoerl '58 Bidding for City Council Seat

October 23, 2009

October 23, 2009, Greencastle, Ind. — "As a council person, I'll work to actualize the challenges of the Tri-Community report," Karen (Johnson) Spoerl, a 1958 graduate of DePauw University, tells the Commercial Record. One of four candidates running for three seats on Michigan's Saugatuck City Council next month, Spoerl maintains, "Tourism is our No. 1 industry and we must understand what draws tourists: our quaint small-town atmosphere, waterfronts, parks, shops, restaurants and art galleries."

The newspaper notes, "Spoerl serves on the Saugatuck historic district commission and for six years was meeting chair or co-chair of the Peterson Nature Preserve committee. A sculptor and teacher, Spoerl began bringing her sculpture to a Saugatuck gallery in 1983. In 1992 she and her husband, Glenn, moved here. They built a house and studio in town. Their two children, their spouses, and five grandchildren visit often from Illinois."

The story continues, "Spoerl, a history graduate from from DePauw University, has been an officer for the Saugatuck-Douglas Garden Club and Lakeshore Jazz Connection. She is a member of the Saugatuck Woman’s Club and volunteers at the Friends of the Saugatuck-Douglas District Library bookstore. She has volunteered and taught at art centers in Illinois and Holland and served as treasurer of the American Association of University Women with a membership of more than 350 in Hinsdale, Ill."

"We must be more aggressive in pursuing state grants to enhance our infrastructure and local businesses," Spoerl tells the newspaper. "Concurrently we must maximize our assets to relieve our taxpayers and plan ahead for predictable future expenses ... We can't have democracy without choice. And we don't have choice if people with different ideas can't participate."

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