Juggling the requirements of a demanding work schedule and the demands of a busy family can prove a rewarding challenge for Judy Stewart, wife and mother of two, Artesia High School counselor and Artesia City councilor.

Her husband, Rick, is principal at AHS.

"With both of us being so busy with our jobs, it’s important to find and make the time to spend together as a family," said Stewart.

Son Paul is a high school junior and daughter Analisia is a junior high cheerleader.

"As busy as our kids are, we like to get involved in their activities," she said. "We enjoy going out of town, that’s how we like to get away.

"Or just sitting and talking about our day," she added.

A first-term councilor representing Artesia’s District One, Stewart became interested in running for the seat when it became available and she had some concerns she wanted to see addressed.

"I got some encouragement from some people I knew to go ahead and run," said Stewart. "After discussing it with my family I decided I was going to do it in hopes that I would be able to make a difference."

Not surprisingly, one of her main concerns has been the problems experienced by local youth.

"I’d been hearing ‘There’s not anything for us to do in Artesia’", she said. "I’d seen kids getting into trouble and thought there must be something we as a community could do to help alleviate these problems."

Stewart sees demonstrating by example as a way to get the point across that adults not only want to make a difference, but are serious about seeing things through.

She points to the city’s annexation of Woodbine Cemetery as an example.

"The annexation of the cemetery was a much-needed project," she said. "We came together as a community to decide to desegregate or continue to segregate.

"When our young people read that in the paper and are thinking, ‘I thought we were beyond those times’ and ‘I thought things were getting better’, it makes me as a councilor realize that they are aware", she said. "They know what’s going on.

"They know whether we as adults are making progress, whether it be to provide for the youth or the development of the streets," she said. "They know what we do as well as the adults, that they will receive the same benefits as everyone else."

Stewart is quick to point out that improvement has to be a team effort, and cites the new skate park as another example.

"For many years our youth had the impression that, ‘Right, you’re not going to do anything for us’," she said. "Allowing them to be involved in the process and understanding why there are arguments, why there are delays."

Helping the youth understand what it takes to make change happen is key, says Stewart.

"That’s probably one of the best things we could have done," she said. "Including them as young adults and as children in the process.

"And pretty soon we’re going to be able to make their dreams a reality, and then we’ll be able to expand the recreation park," she said.

That commitment carries over from her duties as an elected official to her duties as an educator and counselor.

"Sometimes being a school counselor can be very difficult because we carry a heavy burden when we know what our kids are going through from day to day," she said.