Deborah Young running for Ward 1 Cape Council seat

This story has been edited to correct the university from which Deborah Young received her master's degree.

Effective and efficient services, community meetings, a community action plan: These are all are initiatives Deborah Young hopes to accomplish if elected to Cape Girardeau's Ward 1 City Council seat.

Young joins incumbent Dan Presson in the run for Ward 1 in the April municipal election.

Young, originally from Ullin, Illinois, has been a resident of Cape Girardeau since 1993.

She said a desire for equal representation prompted her decision to run for the council.

"I not only want to represent Ward 1, I want to be a voice for all people," Young said. "City Council should be built up of individuals who are bipartisan, not partisan."

If elected, Young pledged her time as representative would be used to focus on three areas of importance:

• The delivery of effective, efficient and consistent services
• Holding community meetings at least four times a year to develop a community action plan and improve voter participation
• Propelling Ward 1 in a forward direction

"I believe that the most substantial communities are anchored in a support of inclusion and collaboration. However, the two will never materialize if both are not seated at the table where decisions are made," Young said. "Our City Council should be as diverse as our city, each bringing unique perspectives that also reflect our growing and diverse community."

Young currently serves as a member of Cape Girardeau's Planning and Zoning Commission.

In 2012, Young founded Lion of Judah International Association of Outreach Ministries, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit with a goal to empower women in poverty.

She received a bachelor's degree in special education from Grand Canyon University and a master's degree in school counseling from University of the Southwest in New Mexico.

When she's not volunteering, Young said she homeschools her two young children.

If elected, Young said she'd aim to be a responsive council member who not only listens to constituents but takes action on their concerns.

"One of the jobs of City Council is to respond and be there for constituents," Young said. "We need someone in that office who will listen and work on issues."

Young said she'd like to see decision-making in her ward become more inclusive and collaborative with the community.

"I can't say I'm the answer, but I'm a catalyst standing here to be a mouthpiece for change," Young said.

The election for open City Council and mayor seats is April 5. The filing period for candidates began Oct. 26 and ended Nov. 23.

Young and Presson are the only candidates running for Ward 1.