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Alyson Spery, 40, was voted as the fifth and final member of the Jackson Town Council on Jan. 24.
Councilors voted unanimously for Spery after public interviews with five top candidates and several hours of private deliberation spread over the course of a week.
(Spery has previously been contracted by KHOL to produce the “One Small Step” series. Her partner, Pete Muldoon, was Jackson’s mayor from 2017-2021 and is a volunteer co-host of KHOL’s public affairs show “The State of Jackson.”)
Spery, who has lived in Jackson about 10 years, is a filmmaker and freelance storyteller and works as a bartender at The Wort Hotel. Councilors said Spery brings a unique perspective to the council in part because, although she is white, she is connected to the Latino community in Jackson. She speaks Spanish and has lived temporarily in Tlaxcala, Mexico, a state where many of the region’s Mexican families trace their roots and Jackson has a sister city.
In her application, Spery wrote she has worn many hats including as an educator, an undocumented person living abroad, a housekeeper, a restaurant server and an artist working abroad on a Fulbright diplomatic visa.
“She brings a new voice and new perspective,” said Jackson Mayor Arne Jorgensen in a Friday meeting.
Spery will fill a seat vacated by Jorgensen. The last time a town councilor was appointed in a similar process was in 2013. She was selected over 17 other applicants.
Reached by phone Friday afternoon, Spery said she watched the meeting from her kitchen table and felt “shocked” by the result.
“I was in a pool of really great candidates and wasn’t sure how this was going to go out,” she said. “But I’m grateful that the council has trusted me with this position and I’m excited to get to work on behalf of the town.”
