Born and bred in Auburn, Ron Anders is now filling the Auburn City Council seat left open by Sheila Eckman.
"I'm very excited and very proud that I've been asked and appointed to participate in this kind of role on behalf of Auburn's citizens," Anders said. "I look forward to serving all the people of Ward 2 and all the people of greater Auburn to the best of my capacity."
Replacing Eckman, who has been elected District 1 Lee County Commissioner, Anders was a member of the Planning Commission before being appointed to the Auburn City Council.
"The Planning Commission was a great, great opportunity to learn, and it really allowed me a better foundation before I joined the City Council," Anders said. "I've got so much to learn, and I'm looking forward just to learning it."
Sitting in the conference room of Rabren General Contractors, where he is director of business development, Anders discussed how maintaining health and welfare of the Auburn community is important to him.
Two issues that Anders said he takes a particular interest in are maintaining the Auburn school system and the safety of citizens. Anders, who has three children in the school systems, said supporting the school system is important to the welfare of the Auburn community.
"The school system, in many ways, is a measuring stick of your community," Anders said. "If your school system is important, and your children are thriving, growing, learning well and furthering themselves with good jobs or going to college, then that's a clear indicator that your community is a healthy community. Our school system has been important to our city for a long, long time, and Auburn has benefited from that."
Anders was raised to value community. His mother helped start the Bethany House, a hospice facility, and his father was president of the Chamber of Commerce and president of the youth baseball board.
"It's just kind of been a part of my heartbeat to serve those in this community," Anders said. "I'm a firm believer that your community is only going to be as good as those that want to make it better, and I was raised to pay my civic rent to make this community a better place."
Anders is an Auburn native, attended Auburn University and now lives in Auburn with his own family. He may be best known for his voice as a part of the local afternoon radio show, "The Drive."
"It's without question one of the proudest moments of my life to serve, in this capacity, a community that is the only community I've ever known and that has provided me and my family an opportunity to live here and to raise my own kids here," Anders said. "I'm just really proud to be able to serve the community in this manner."
Because Anders was appointed in the middle of a term, David Dorton, director of public affairs for the City of Auburn, said Anders will have to run in the 2014 election to secure his spot on the Council, something Anders plans to do.
"My job right now is to fulfill Mrs. Eckman's term until 2014, and I'm going to do that to the best of my abilities," Anders said. "I will definitely be running in 2014."
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