This story originally appeared in the print edititon of the Midway Messenger. This version contains corrections and minor additions. The Messenger regrets the errors.
By Megan Ingros
By Megan Ingros
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Telecommunications
When life gives you lemons, find the matching curtains and
spruce up your interior design.
At least that’s what certified interior designer, church
organist and Midway City Council member Libby Warfield might suggest.
Libby Warfield |
Warfield, 63, has been serving on the council since January.
She filed to run in 2012, but pulled out of the race before her name was ever
on the ballot because she was diagnosed with stage four cancer of a salivary
gland. The cancer grew into Warfield’s facial nerve trunk, which caused one side
of her face to be permanently paralyzed.
“When they told me at
Markey Cancer Center that I had stage four cancer with only a 30 percent chance
of survival, immediately I started saying ‘I trust in God and I have faith in
God for whatever reason this has happened’,” Warfield recalled, “It was a
second-nature reaction to it.”
Warfield underwent chemotherapy and radiation at the same
time, and five months after her treatments and surgery she returned as choir
director and organist for Troy Presbyterian Church. She has been an organist
since she was 16.
Salivary gland cancer is a rare type that can be caused by
age, radiation exposure, diet and certain workplace exposures.
“Some studies have suggested that people who work with
certain metals or minerals and people who work in asbestos mining, plumbing,
rubber products manufacturing, and some types of woodworking may be at
increased risk,” the American Cancer Society says on its website.
Warfield said she has
been on construction sites her entire life and is trying to stay away from
paint and chemicals. With a changed lifestyle, including an organic diet,
vitamins and herbal supplements, she is doing everything she can to remain
cancer-free.
“When I think about anything I’m doing now, I am trusting in
God that I’m supposed to be doing what I’m doing,” she said. “It also has a lot
to do with the way I go about making decisions.”
So how does Warfield make her decisions now as a council
member? Differently, she says. “Now I always look
for what’s God’s will in this,” she said. “A lot of times it’s how much time
you can study and research an issue, that’s key.”
Warfield said she believes in getting into a position to
look at every angle and aspect of a situation. “I’m really studying, everyday
I’m doing something for the council,” she said two months into her term.
Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said he recognizes Warfield’s
strong incentive to really understand what is going on in the town. “I don't
know Libby very well on a personal level,” he said, “but I appreciate her
attention to detail and her desire to learn more about how city government
works.”
Vandegrift and Warfield were on opposite sides recently as
the council debated an ordinance, proposed by Vandegrift, to ban discrimination
based on gender identity and sexual orientation in housing, employment and
public accommodations. Warfield and Council Member Steven Craig voted against
the ordinance, the eighth of its kind in the state.
Warfield questioned the ordinance in meetings, but chose to
explain her vote in writing, in a statement attached to the minutes of the
council’s June 1 meeting, at which the ordinance passed.
She wrote that the county Human Rights Commission had not
shown the need for the ordinance. “There is no prejudice or discrimination here,”
she said, adding later, “My 39-year-old son, who is gay, was born here and
lived most of his life here. He is a past member of this city council. He and I
agree that there is no reason for this ordinance at this time.”
Warfield concluded, “Who do we think we are to impose such a
law? Wouldn’t it be better to proclaim to the world that Midway has always been
and will continue to be a ‘Golden Rule Community’ and spending some quality
time defining what that really means?”
Warfield also said the ordinance would be difficult to
enforce, reflecting a concern that she voiced in an interview shortly after it
was proposed in February.
She mentioned several ordinances dealing with such things as
dogs, sidewalks and ordinances that “are just impractical and impossible to
enforce, such as Ordinance 92.22(f) requires a window in every room; 92.22(j) –
no spitting on the sidewalk; 92.22(k) – imperfect trap, sink, drainage
appliance.”
Warfield said she ran for council because she feels blessed
by being born and raised in Midway: “I reaped all the rewards of a really tiny
town and the experience growing up here was amazing and I just felt like I
needed to do something to give back.”
Serving the community runs in the family. Her son, Matt
Warfield was as a council member for two years, and her mother, Jean Clifton
Sharon, served for 12 and was a correspondent for The Woodford Sun. She has
been married to David Warfield since 1972.
“I do have a lot of
knowledge about the past of Midway, not that we should base our decisions on
what used to be, but that is a good foundation,” she said.
Warfield wants the council to resume a program to helped
homeowners repair and replace sidewalks. “We’ve got to get those straightened
out,” she said.
Early in her term, made what she called “a big hoopdeedoo”
about the need for “an ambulance in Midway or an ambulance closer to Midway.”
Vandergrift took the issue to the county fiscal court, which rejected it.
More than anything, Warfield says she wants to be a voice
for those who are reluctant to use their own. “We have really nice people in
this town, and they’re not going to complain no matter what, even if they have
strong opinions on something it would be very rare,” she said. “I have a
business phone number, Libby Warfield Interiors, so it’s not hard to find in
the phone book. I’m willing to talk to people about whatever their concerns are
anytime.”
Warfield said she may seek another term if she is able, but
faces the drawback of having to file in January for the November 2016 election: “I don’t live my life any more with long-term plans.”
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