By Audrey Sellers
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Laura Hill is afraid that her three kids will think:br“All Mom did was sit on the sofa all day.” It seemsbrlike an irrational fear coming from someone whobrjust made history as Southlake's first woman mayor.brShe's been a civic leader for more than a decade,brand she's also a successful businesswoman; Hill is thebrco-owner of Downey Publishing and Texas Ice Cream.brShe has racked up numerous accolades, includingbrher most recent achievement: the Dallas BusinessbrJournal's Women in Business Award.br
Hill has hardly been laying low in her livingbrroom. And now, only a few months into her term asbrmayor, she's focusing on creating the very bestbrversion of Southlake.
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Southlake Meets Its Mayor
Though she has learned much from the city's previousbrmayors, she's not particularly concerned about howbrthey did things. “It's kind of like there's a new sher-briff in town. That's how I feel,” Hill says. “I don't everbrask how we've done it in the past. I always say, ‘Here'sbrhow I think that would work better. Am I missingbrsomething?'”br
It all starts with sparking a conversation.brImproving communication is one of Hill's major goalsbrfor Southlake. “We have to keep up with the way citi-brzens are getting information,” she says.br
This means moving away from over-communicat-bring with e-mails and robocalls and transitioning intobra more tech-savvy era. “We have great companies inbrthis town with technology as their strong point. Whybrnot partner with those companies?” says Hill. “I wantbrto take communication to a new level.”br
Hill is already off to a good start. She has amassedbrthousands of followers on Facebook (Facebook.com/brLauraHillForSouthlake), Twitter (@laurakhill0404)brand Instagram (@laurahill0404). And in case you'rebrwondering, she writes all her own posts.br
“I'm the first social media mayor in Southlake, sobrI have an obligation to communicate on a level thatbrother mayors probably never experienced,” she says.
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And that's okay with her. She embraces the learn-bring curve. “I have to continue doing my homework andbrcommunicating as best I can so that people understandbrnot just what my goals are, but that I'm listening to them,”brHill says.br
In her first few months in office, she's done plenty ofbrlistening – sometimes about topics that catch her offbrguard. “People think I'm a lot more knowl-edgeable about life just because I'm the mayor,” she laughs. “I'm surprised atbrsome of the issues people want tobrdiscuss with me.”
It's a testament to howbrmuch the community trustsbrits new mayor. Hill recog-brnizes that citizens havebrhigh hopes for her, but she doesn't feel likebrshe's accomplished anybrimpressive feat.br
“I feel like a lot isbrexpected of me as the first woman mayor,” shebrsays. “But Southlake hasbralways been open to greatbrleadership. I don't think be-bring a woman mattered at all.”br
The fact that she's a woman (and a mom) has actually led to some fun community engagements
that past mayors didn't get to enjoy. Hill reads to toddlers at the library and findsbrherself “doing a lot of mom stuff,” as she puts it.
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Her kids, Maggie, Preston and Trent, are grown now, butbrshe still has a heart for helping youth. Hill founded Studentsbrand Parents Against Risks to our Kids (SPARK) in 2007,brand in 2011, she co-founded Students and Athletes ServingbrOthers (SASO). SPARK is a support organization aimedbrat helping kids and parents “spark” conversations aboutbrdifficult issues kids may be facing, and SASO offersbrphilanthropic opportunities for parents and their highbrschool-age children.br
Hill's latest endeavor is Southlake Kids Interested inbrLeadership (SKIL), which kicks off this fall. “We're going tobrcombine smart businesspeople and city staff with smartbryouth, and bring these people to the table to solve anbrissue,” she says. “What I love about SKIL is that people canbrparticipate in solving a problem.”
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Growing Pains
One of those problems is undoubtedly traffic. Southlakebris growing, and with the growth comes some of the worstbrtraffic congestion the city has ever experienced. Many roadsbrare so clogged with cars that residents can barely get outbrof their neighborhoods. Southlake today is much differentbrthan how long-time residents – including Hill – remember it.br
“My dad is 84 and he's upset that people like me camebrhere in the 1990s and built on one acre. It used to be twobracres,” Hill says. “But if you looked on a map, you knewbrwhat was going to happen. The secret wasn't going to staybra secret.”br
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Southlake is situated between two of the country'sbrfastest-growing cities: Dallas at No. 3 and Ft. Worth at No. 8, according to Forbes. And it's just minutes frombrDallas/Ft. Worth International Airport, the fourthbrbusiest in the United States, and the eighthbrbusiest in the world.
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Throw in a bustling retail scene and abrworld-class school district that has united the en-brtire city under the Dragon name, and it's easy to see why so many people want their own slicebrof Southlake.
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“There are people who comebrhere from other countriesbrand they could have livedbranywhere,” she says. “Webrhave this incredible quality of life here.”brThough you mightbrfeel a slight sense ofbrresentment at thebrinflux of peoplebrmoving to Southlakebr(more people meansbrmore traffic), Hillbrappreciates the newbrresidents. “They knowbrwhat they have herebrdoesn't exist in otherbrplaces,” she says. “When Ibrhear people complain aboutbrsomething, I just say, ‘This is thebrgreatest place to raise a family.' Ibrcan't believe I've ended up in a town like this.”
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And when you consider Southlake's growth, keep in mind that much of it comes from citizensbrinvesting in the community. Hill built and ownsbrthe Downey Publishing building, which is wherebrshe runs her business with her father, producingbrsmall, rural telephone directories for more thanbr14,000 customers. Nearby business owners live inbrSouthlake and own their buildings as well.
Even though much of the growth isbrhomegrown, Hill is aware that the majority ofbrresidents don't want Southlake to grow. “In abrperfect world, we could say, ‘Stop. No more,'”brshe says. “But we cannot stop. It's not thebrAmerican way.”br
Instead of halting development, Hill isbrfocused on creating the right kind of growth forbrSouthlake – especially when it comes to 114. “Webrknow what we don't want 114 looking like, sobrwe have to fight hard to get it looking the waybrSouthlake envisioned it to be,” she says. “We havebrto consider what has already happened in the citybrand develop in a way that fits.”
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A Community to Call Home
Hill is committed to finishing out Southlake'sbrdevelopment keeping in mind what she andbrso many others value about the city: its home-brtown feel and unparalleled sense of community.br“That's what makes us special,” she says. “We'rebrall Dragons.”
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Even though she no longer has kids in the school district,brHill is staying put – and so are many other residents. “Therebrare many people like me who raised our children here andbrdon't intend on leaving,” she says. “I've lived in my house forbr20 years and I'll be in my house 20 more years.”br
Southlake is home. That's why Hill has been so investedbrin her community, long before she became mayor. “Mybrinterest was always in city stuff and elections. I just kept gettingbrmore and more involved,” she says. “For me, it's a privilege tobrgive back.”br
But she doesn't want anyone to be impressed with her.brShe gives the credit to her family and staff. “I have greatbrpeople around me. I always have,” says Hill.br
She helps her husband, Joe, with the admin side of hisbrbusiness, Texas Ice Cream, which he started five years agobras a change of pace from corporate America. She alsobrembraces the domestic side of life. Hill doesn't havebra housekeeper and enjoys keeping her house immaculatebron her own.br
As for hobbies, Hill doesn't really have any. She muchbrprefers a cozy spot on the couch. Sometimes, all she wantsbrto do is sit – despite what her kids might think.
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Highlights onbrMayor Hill
Chairman of the Board of Directorsbrof ADP (National Association
of Directory Publishers)br
Founder and Executor of Downey Artbrfor Education Trust, which has awardedbrmore than $700,000 to rural schools inbrTexas, Arkansas and Oklahomabr
Advisory Board and Past Board Chair,brRecovery Resource Council
of Tarrant Countybr
Advisory Board Member, Texas StatebrDyslexia Licensing Committeebr
Executive Board, Board of DirectorsbrSouthlake Chamber of Commercebr
CISD Class graduatebr
City of Southlake CitizensbrAcademy graduatebr
Southlake CERT
(Citizens Emergency Response Team)brgraduatebr
Lifetime Member, SouthlakebrHistorical Societybr
Legacy of Women Award,brSafe Haven of Tarrant Countybr
Carroll ISD Shankman Awardbrfor service to childrenbr
Citizen of the Year, SouthlakebrChamber of Commercebr
L.I.N.K. (Leadership, Inspiration,brNurturing and Kindness) Award,brMetroport Meals on Wheels