Wearing jeans and working in Sandy's old City Council building, Linda Martinez-Saville isn't your typical council chairwoman.
"I belong here," said Martinez-Saville of her basement office as unit director of Sandy's Boys and Girls Club. "This is me, and I'm not going to change."Elected to Sandy's City Council in November 1995, Martinez-Sa-ville was elected to serve a six-month term as City Council chair-woman at the first of July.
"Because of my race, because I'm a woman, it's an honor," she said.
Martinez-Saville is the first Hispanic to serve as council chairwoman and only the second woman to hold the office.
"Women think differently, and it's good to have women on the council because we do think differently," she said.
Martinez-Saville worked in the Jordan School District for 13 years with behaviorally disordered, high-risk children, and she's also been a long-time supporter of a spousal abuse crisis center in South Jordan that will open this month.
Phil Glenn, director of the City Council office, said, "She's the kind of person who has a long history of being involved as a volunteer in a variety of efforts to make her community a better place."
To benefit the council, she brings a desire and an ability to get differing opinion groups to work together, he said, adding that her enthusiasm is contagious.
"She has a real excitement for the possibilities and is excited about the potential that Sandy has to grow and develop, and that excitement rubs off on other people."
Martinez-Saville said she sees herself as a positive person, believing that with the right attitude and some dedication any-thing can be accomplished.
She decided to run for office because she saw a need for a domestic abuse center in Sandy. She approached her campaign with determination - dividing Sandy into sections and walking from house to house after work, talking to the people.
"I was knocking on doors when it was snowing," Martinez-Saville said. "It took every ounce of strength I had. I just worked so hard and I wanted it so bad."
On the day she was elected, Martinez-Saville found a card with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt that she now keeps on the wall behind her desk.
"You must do the things you think you cannot do," it says.
The first few months after she took office, Martinez-Saville said it was frightening to sit in front of all the people who came to City Council meetings.
Since then, she's grown accustomed to the position and looks forward to seeing people appear before the council.
"I work for the people who are in this community," Martinez-Saville said. "I'm their servant."
And she takes her responsibility seriously. One promise she made was to meet with the residents regularly. So at 7:30 a.m. on the last Friday of each month, you'll find her at Johanna's Kitchen, 9725 S. State St., ready to answer questions and hear concerns.
"I think every person should have a turn to be a council person . . . so (he or she) can see how it works," Martinez-Saville said.
A Sandy resident for more than 30 years, Martinez-Saville said she's seen the city grow from a rural community to a thriving metropolis.
"That's what's neat about living in your same community," she said. "You get to see it grow up."