Hello,
I'm Laurie DePhillips
I'm a third-generation Iowan that has chosen Grimes as my home. Below is some background about me, my experience, and why I'm running for Grimes City Council. Once you're done reading about me, I would appreciate the opportunity to learn about you. Contact me and let's set up some time to talk.
Iowa born and raised.
I am an Iowa native, born in Pella. My parents are both second-generation born and raised in the Des Moines area. My mother is from Urbandale and my father is from West Des Moines.
I've lived in New York, Indiana, Michigan, and Colorado but the Des Moines area was always home since both sides of my family were here. I moved back to Iowa to attend Iowa State University and then moved to the western suburbs of Des Moines. I spent a few years in Colorado before moving back to replant roots. I am so excited to have chosen Grimes as my home to plant myself.
Work-life balance.
I love the Iowa State Cyclones and I'm proud to be an alumnus. I started my professional life as a high school English teacher at Perry High School but moved into marketing by taking a job as a Marketing Specialist at Marsh for several years. I have also worked as a Senior Account Manager at ITA Group and the past 2.5 years in Account Management at AKC Marketing. Currently, I volunteer with the Iowa Chapter of the American Marketing Association
I’m also very active outdoors by biking, hiking, camping, skiing, and paddleboarding. I rode RAGBRAI in 2019 and spent a camping season as a guide for Wander Women. While in Colorado, I volunteered with the Chill Foundation, which is a positive youth development program where snowboarding and skiing are used as a vehicle for empowerment.
Why I am running for Grimes City Council.
I'm running because I want to help grow Grimes the right way.
Like many of you, I chose to live in Grimes because I wanted to enjoy the benefits of the Metro without sacrificing the connection you get living in a close-knit community.
Grimes embodies so many of the things we all love best about living in Iowa: neighbor-to-neighbor values that help us support each other through the good and the bad.
How do we grow Grimes the right way? Let’s make it a place that supports and attracts unique small businesses that differentiate us from other fast-growing places in the Metro. Let’s make it a city whose trail system, parks, and sports facilities attract people of all ages to use. Let’s celebrate our small-town heritage while welcoming the growing diversity of Central Iowa by providing affordable housing and inclusive neighborhoods that every type of person wants to move to.
We also need to ensure that the growth and development plans include important infrastructure and resource updates before it becomes a problem. And the updates that are behind, such as the sewer system and the fire station are top priorities.
If we choose to grow Grimes the right way, we will have a remarkable community that offers the opportunities and amenities we need without sacrificing our distinct character and heritage.
