Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Editor’s Note: This is one in a continuing series of interviews with local officials. Gail Tarson was recently elected to serve on the Clovis city commission.
Q: Tell me about yourself, your family, your background, etc.
A: I grew up in a small Arizona town similar to Clovis in culture and climate. I was raised in a two-parent household with six siblings, a mix of brothers and sisters. I was raised on caring discipline and unconditional love. I am married to Todd Tarson who works for UPS.
Todd and I will celebrate 23 years of marriage in June. I have two adult sons from a previous marriage, both are married and have my five granddaughters between the two families.
My work life began at age 16 in fast food and once my children were in school I began my life in the corporate world in telecommunications, promoting throughout the years to several positions and finishing as national director of customer care.
After 25 years, I separated from that company and moved to Clovis where I pursued my passion for fine jewelry opening and building a new business from the ground up.
Q: What made you want to serve on the City Commission?
A: I have a heart to serve. My heart is about making the world around us a better place, seeking positive outcomes through collaboration and understanding of the issues.
Since moving to Clovis I have volunteered and served on many boards.
Three of those boards serving the city of Clovis: Revenue Review Board, Lodgers Tax Board, and Economic Incentive Board. That’s in addition to serving Habitat for Humanity, Habitat ReStore, Hartley House, Hospice, United Way of Eastern New Mexico, High Plains Humane Society, past president of the Clovis/Curry County Chamber of Commerce, and past president of the Clovis Rotary Club.
I also serve on the New Mexico Organized Retail Crime Association (NMORCA) where our focus is tackling the ever-rising crime.
Q: How do you believe you are prepared for this role?
A: My answer to the first two questions best summarize how life has prepared me for the role as a city commissioner. Everything that I’ve done and experienced in my life has prepared me for this role.
I’m not afraid to confront issues and I stand firmly on my beliefs, which guide me in every decision.
Q: How do you plan to involve the community in the decision making process?
A: I will be available to the public by way of social media, email, and by cell phone.
Q: How do you address funding and budget constraints?
A: I would address funding and budget constraints much like I do in my household and business: assess our budget and finances, prioritize spending, explore opportunities to increase revenue and identify cost-saving measures.
Q: As a city commissioner what would you like to see change? How do you plan to tackle it?
A: The direction of our city has been solid. If there is one thing we could do better it’s communicating all of the successes, achievements and our challenges.
As a business owner I understand the difficulty in reaching people. I am intentional in following the city commission meetings to stay abreast of what’s happening in our community and encourage all citizens to do the same.
Q: Are there any big initiatives in your agenda?
A: I will continue to support our Ute Water Pipeline initiative, continue efforts to reduce crime through my engagement on NMORCA, and work to engage more of our citizens in the solutions to support our community’s growth, prosperity and safety.
— Compiled by Landry Sena, the Staff of the News
