Fear of public speaking is a common phenomenon. Lots of people suffer from it. It’s just that most of them don’t run for public office where speaking is a must.

That’s what Megan Parks did. The new at-large Lewiston School Committee member has been at work since November when she was voted in. She didn’t run for the position because she wanted to confront her fears. She ran because she has kids in the school system and wants them to have the best experience possible.

We tracked down Parks and asked a few questions about her journey to the front of the room.

What made you decide to run? I had been attending school committee meetings, somewhat vocally, for several years, but had never considered running for a seat. Historically I’m not into politics on any level, and my involvement had always been a bit narrow-minded and mostly based upon the needs of my own children. I am an advocate by nature so I have these great ideas about fighting for what’s right and speaking up when no one else can or will, but still, when it was originally suggested that I run, I laughed. As I thought about it more, it really started to make sense though; I could be more involved than I already was, and hopefully make more of a difference, and I could set the stage for my children to have a better view of politics and civic duty than I had always had.

What’s the experience been like so far? It has been fun, educational, eye-opening, challenging . . . We have some truly great people on the committee. We’ve got a near perfect mix of knowledgeable veterans and eager newbies, like me. We all bring different experiences and perspectives to the table, and most importantly, even when any of us disagree on something, we talk it out and finish the meeting with witty banter and friendly goodbyes. And I feel like everyone is very genuine in this regard. It’s not false niceties. We truly respect each other and work well together.

What do you do apart from the school committee? I am a mental health case manager and a substance abuse counselor, and I am on the board of directors at The Jubilee Center. I have two children, ages 6 and 13, and a zoo of rescued animals that all keep me busy. For “me time,” I love live theater (check out The Thread Theatre the third Thursday of every month at The Franco Center), cooking, bowling and I have an addiction to vintage clothing.

What was the hardest part of campaigning? The hardest part of campaigning was dealing with my newly developed irrational fear of unplanned, on-the-spot public speaking. I can have the most amazingly brilliant thoughts in my head, and some pretty dumb ones too, but when I open my mouth somehow a lot of “umm’s” and “uuh’s” come out. Stage fright and public campaigning don’t mix so well. Second to that, picking up all of my campaign signs after the election was over was the hardest part. If it wasn’t for some very helpful city council members, I’d probably still have signs around town. Thanks guys!

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