Newest Member of Saline City Council to Bridge Communication Gaps

Nicole Rice raised her right hand and committed to her duties as a council member while she was sworn into her first city council meeting on January 9th, 2023, among a few of her colleagues. "It felt really cool to make that commitment," said Rice. Originally from Ohio, she is the newest member of The Saline City Council and has spent the last 6 years devoting her time and work into becoming enriched among the Saline community.

Rice invested a lot of her values into the Saline community before becoming a member, as she brings a strong standing background in communication both in profession and education. She was a captain of sorts for her neighborhood and served on the Code and Ordinance Commission for the city of Saline before being selected. Rice and her spouse, a retiree from the military, share a strong devotion to the public they live amongst, ““we've always been service oriented,” stated Rice. Saline has quickly become home for her and her family, and that the relationships she’s been building, attribute to her success within the new position.

Rice has previously used her technical background to help the further develop and create city ordinances to Saline residents and businesses. Now, with the city alongside her, she can combine both her passion for community voice and progression into real time action. “I realized there was a communication gap,” said Rice in relation to residents as they link to the city. In support of her campaign, Rice had many reinforcements guiding her through, which include former council member Dawn Krause, “The community really rallied around me,” said Rice “It just feels really good to work on the other side now.”

Rice spoke to STN about the major upcoming projects for Saline and what her contributions involve. Saline will spend a lot of 2023 focusing on infrastructure and community development, "I want to make sure that every time I speak, I speak with information." The city is working on a new project that connects Saline Main Street directly with city council staff. As a representative on that committee, Rice is now able to extend her communication interests and remain immersed in the happenings around Saline.

Now that Rice has more insight into how decisions are made, and who values them, she can further make her imprint into the promise for Salinians. “We know that her thoughtfulness and dedication will enrich and strengthen an already strong city council,” stated Mayor Marl at the January 9th council meeting.

Alongside her commitment to better communication, she has a strong interest in new policies and having tangible outcomes to city proposals. “I think it's a great time to work for the City of Saline,” said Rice “We need to listen, take a step back, and find where the gap in communication is, and where we can do better.”