Many accomplishments, one regret; Hambel bids farewell to the council

Sparta - One of Sparta’s longer serving council members presided over her last meeting on the governing body last week. After 10 years serving as Sparta councilwoman, and most recently as the township’s mayor, Ailish Hambel bid farewell to her colleagues during the council meeting on June 27. “Representing Sparta became a way of life for me. I just loved doing it, and I gave my all to it. I enjoyed representing the people” she said. Hambel readily admits that what she’ll miss most about her position on the council is working with the people of Sparta, being their advocate and acting on their behalf. “Sometimes people can feel intimidated by town hall, and it’s nice to have a representative they can feel comfortable coming to,” said Hambel. Hambel started her career in local government after winning her first election in May of 1996, filling an unexpired term vacated by George Dykstra. She passed up an opportunity to serve as the township’s mayor in 2001, having just assumed the responsibility of taking over a new business. “I knew that I wouldn’t be able to commit myself to the level I would want to, so I passed on mayor in what would have been my first rotation,” said Hambel. Then, in 2005, the opportunity again presented itself and the councilwoman accepted. “I took very seriously my position on council and my time as mayor, and made sure I made the meetings … if I ever did miss a meeting, in all of my years on council, it would be just one a year at most, because of my annual vacation to Ireland.” Hambel reflects on her council years as a rewarding and positive experience, but she’s quick to point out that her tenure was not without its challenges. “Sparta grew very fast, and the councils I served on were hit with that growth,” she said, explaining that previous councils did not adequately anticipate the growth, leaving the town’s infrastructure in need of many new or expanded facilities and services. “We didn’t have the services in place to meet the growth,” said Hambel. “And instead of being able to grow incrementally over time, we got hit with a firehouse, the need for a new town hall, and a new middle school, as well.” Hambel pointed out that, even though the middle school was a separate budget from Sparta’s municipal budget, its price tag was viewed by taxpayers as just another of the town’s many facilities. “The community grew almost too fast to keep up with it.” Asked what the highlight of her years in service was, Mayor Hambel said without pause, “Open space. Every time you get land into open space, you cut down on growth, and the need for greater infrastructure.” The acquisition of over 1,500 acres of open space is just one accomplishment among many that Hambel cites she and fellow council members are proud to have realized. Other highlights include establishing “town hall” meetings, introducing free Friday concerts that offer a splash of cultural diversity to the community, and increasing the township’s commercial and industrial ratables. Hambel said she and outgoing councilman Jim Henderson are proud to have accomplished these and other items, while keeping the municipal tax rate the fourth lowest in the county, with an average increase of only 1.4 cents per year over a ten-year period. Though many goals were reached during her time in office, there is one regret for the outgoing mayor. “I would have liked to see a community center built. I always wanted a community center, but at the time I proposed it, the middle school was being built and the people didn’t support it. I truly believe, though, that what the people would have ended up paying in taxes [for a center], they would’ve gotten back tenfold.” Hambel said leaving office will be sad, but the extra time she’ll gain is cherished, with a business still to be run and a family vying for her attention, as well. “I’m excited about the free time I’m going to have. I’m looking forward to going to visit my grandchildren more often.”