Sioux Falls Business Journal

The Sanders file

Gloria Sanders keeps busy working at the family's print shop in Garretson and helping run the town as mayor. (Inertia/for the SFBJ)

A: “My husband, Bob, is the fourth generation in the business. It was just natural to come back to Garretson and work with his dad and brother. Bob eventually took over as president. Like many small businesses, you pitch in where you need to, and that’s how I evolved into this.”

Q: Tell me about your interests and hobbies.

A: “Hobbies are hard. I’ve never been a hobby person. I’ve always thought that a hobby is something you should enjoy doing, and I definitely enjoy my work. A few years ago, I would try to get out on the golf course once in awhile. I have my days and nights occupied now. Three-and-a-half years ago, I was elected as mayor, and when I’m not working, and sometimes when I am, that takes a lot of time and work also. I enjoy singing. I enjoy a pleasant bike ride once in awhile. But nothing like some people do.”

Q: Yes, you had Tour de Kota come through last year didn’t you?

A: “Yes. It’s so fun to watch this community. We have some people who just promote us to the max, and they come up with all these really wonderful ideas. When they tell you one of their ideas, the majority will look at them like, ‘Are you crazy?’ But we all jump on the bandwagon. With the tour, a couple of people took the reins, and the whole community jumped in.”

Q: What do you enjoy most about work?

A: “I believe it’s that every day is different. Being in a small community and my hometown and just walking up to the post office in the morning, meeting someone and chatting with them. It’s basically the people that you work with.”

Q: How did you get interested in politics?

A: “My feeling is in our particular city government, we don’t have politics. How I got started, there was an absolutely wonderful lady serving on the City Council. She became ill, and the mayor asked me to fill out her term. That was back in 1980. I’ve been on and off the council ever since. If there’s an open seat for a ward, they’ll ask me to fill in. I had my little toe in. Then when the mayor’s position was opening, I thought, I’ve been on the council a number of times, I’ll try something different.”

Q: When is your term up?

A: “The end of my term is in May 2008. I don’t know if I’ll run yet or not. We have an awesome council. They have made my job look easy. For that reason I’d hate to leave them. But there are lots of people on the council who would be excellent as mayor, so if someone steps forward, I have no problem stepping down.”

Q: How do you find time to balance your work and your family?

A: “My family is very understanding. That’s one thing we have learned over the years is flexibility. They just understand.”

Q: What kind of music is in your car or what do you listen to on the radio?

A: “I enjoy country, but sometimes I prefer classical.”

Q: If you could have dinner with two or three people, alive or dead, who would you choose and why?

A: “Gert Nelson was an absolutely wonderful lady who lived here in Garretson. She was so open and giving and loving and intelligent. I would just love to be able to visit with her again. Also Bob’s grandma Nellie Sanders. She also was one of those grand ladies, very stately, big white hair. A lot of people who didn’t know her were afraid of her. We got to know her, and she was very interesting. I’ve always admired Gerald Ford. I think he’d fit in with the ladies. He was very down to earth. He could listen or speak to the issues without talking over us.”

Q: Do you have a charity or organization that’s especially close to heart?

A: “Anyone that’s talking to me at any particular time. I’m a real marshmallow. I feel strongly for the Children’s Miracle Network. One of my grandsons is a special needs person, and he has benefited from it and still is from the Children’s Miracle Network.”

Q: Do you have a favorite getaway?

A: “Any of them. Actually a year ago, Bob and I were able to take two grandsons out to the Black Hills. It was the first time my husband and I had been there for many years, and it was the first time for the boys. We were going places, doing things that adults can’t do without kids along, so that was a really neat time. Last summer my daughter and I went to Hawaii. That is a wonderful state. But the best getaway is to just be home.”

Q: What are the best and worst things about living in the Sioux Falls area?

A: “The best thing is the variety that South Dakota offers us – the rolling green hills, the trees, the streams. Just a couple hours west of here and you get into the plateaus and flat lands, and it just blows my mind every time I go across the state. One of my favorite views is the Badlands. I could just pull the car over and look at them. In the Sioux Falls area, it’s good to have easy access to a metropolitan area. It’s also very nice to have equally easy access to not be in the metropolitan area. It’s just a half-hour drive to be back in Garretson and to enjoy the quiet, tree-lined streets. The worst thing about being so close to Sioux Falls is not having people realize that there is life outside of the Sioux Falls city limits. We have a governing board that doesn’t always realize they have taxpaying citizens who live outside the city limits and want and need attention, too. It’s not that we’re in competition. We’d just like to be acknowledged that we’re here. Sioux Falls’ tax base is huge in comparison to ours, and at the same time we need services also whether it be road repairs to law enforcement to ambulance service. In our city, the government can’t afford to fund ambulance service. Being in a rural area, we know the need for it. Sometimes we’d kind of like to have a governing body try to look at it from our point of view. Being in the same county with Sioux Falls is kind of daunting.”