BRISTOL, Tenn. – City Councilwoman Margaret Feierabend laughed when asked to describe her feelings on being considered one of this area’s most-powerful women.
“If I do have any power, the reason I like having it is so I can give it to other people,” Feierabend said.
“To me, the biggest reward is not just seeing things happen and change for the better, but helping others have the power to do it,” Feierabend said. “One of my passions is to bring people together and make things happen. I’m about getting things done, but I’m also about getting there in right ways.”
That fierce desire is why, her modesty aside, Feierabend’s name can comfortably sit on any list of most-powerful local women: A longtime Bristol councilwoman and the city’s first woman mayor – a position she initially held in 1997 and again just last year – Feierabend has used her unique blend of optimistic idealism and tough, bottom-line focus to make a clear impact on her community.
“Margaret Feierabend always brings two things to the table in everything she does,” said Kelly Graham, a prominent Bristol realtor and former mayor who served on the City Council with Feierabend several years ago.
“One is her love for doing things that really make a difference in people’s lives as citizens in Bristol,” Graham said. “And two is her passion for doing whatever she can to improve and better Bristol as a community, in general. She’s been absolutely fantastic and tireless in pursuing both those things, believe me.”
Those assets have allowed Feierabend to make a difference in numerous ways – from the clearly big (using her influence on the council and deep, longtime interest in educational issues to push Bristol city and school officials to work closer on projects to reform and improve education in the 4,000-student district) to the seemingly small but meaningful (successfully prodding Bristol City Hall to have the city’s bus system start a service allowing residents with medical needs – but who lack transportation – to arrange convenient trips to the Sullivan County Health Department in Blountville).
Those assets have driven Feierabend to become one of Bristol’s most energetic and highly-visible figures – from working and encouraging teens in the Bristol Youth Council to become active and engaged in community issues to taking a lead role pushing the region’s efforts to promote better nutrition, local foods and healthier lifestyles in groups like Pioneering Healthier Communities and Appalachian Sustainable Development.
“I kind of see myself as an optimistic, realistic idealist,” Feierabend said with a laugh.
“I’m never satisfied with the status quo, and I don’t want other people to be either. And I think we can change the status quo,” she said. “But I’m also realistic and pragmatic enough to know that to do that, you’ve got to be prepared to work hard, stay focused on the process at hand and be true to your values. And people have to see you’re out there working with them, as well as for them. That’s what really drives what I do every day.”
It’s a zeal that Feierabend said became second nature to her while growing up in Baton Rogue, La., with two parents, Paul and Kathleen Burns, who mixed their deep religious faith with a heavy interest in community affairs – which saw them take part in civil-rights marches and actively pursue various other social-justice causes.
“I grew up in a home where the teachings of the New Testament – that God is love, that you should treat each other with love and empathy – were seen as a guide to how we could change our world and empower people in our daily lives.” Feierabend said.
“That’s definitely the foundation, the framework, that everything I do is built on,” she said. “It’ll always be part of my values as a person, and as a public official.”
In addition to that strong value system, another element that adds heft to Feierabend’s power and influence is her willingness to be a forward-looking thinker who isn’t afraid to express fresh ideas, said Bristol Virginia City Councilman Don Ashley, who – like Feierabend – recently ended a one-year term as his community’s mayor.
“Margaret is just someone who isn’t afraid to set out a vision that helps people find common ground,” Ashley said
Ashley recalled how several months ago, Feierabend pushed for the City Councils and city managers of the two Bristols to meet together, in a casual, non-business environment, to promote a sense of goodwill and unity – and backed up her idea by offering to host a dinner in her home.
After some initial skepticism, the historic “social dinner” was held in June at the councilwoman’s home and – Ashley noted with a laugh – was a raging success that drew a full, lively crowd of city officials from both Bristols, along with their spouses.
“She’s just a very wise woman,” Ashley said. “She’s always looking for ways that accentuate the positive in our people and our communities.”
With a chuckle, Ashley added, “I look at Margaret as the sister I never had. That’s a pretty good indication of how much I admire her, don’t you think?”
Feierabend said while her public service has been “tremendously rewarding,” it also has come with plenty of challenges – some of which, she noted, clearly stem from her being a woman.
“There certainly have been times, and still are, where people discount what I say simply because I’m a female,” Feierabend said.
“I don’t like it, and you wish people were more open-minded. But it’s a reality, at times, and I’ve become used to it,” she said. “I work around it and past it.”
Feierabend recalled that on some occasions as a public official, she has privately asked a male colleague to publicly voice or raise an idea or approach she’s developed – because she knew the suggestion would draw a better reception if it came from a man.
When asked if being forced to use that approach has angered her, Feierabend said with a laugh, “No, not if it worked, and it allowed us to accomplish something that helped Bristol and our citizens. Because the main thing is to get things done.
“But you do hope there comes a day when that’s not ever necessary for a female to do,” she said. “We’re certainly not quite there yet.”
But as she waits and works for that ideal day for all females, Margaret Feierabend said, she remains intent on continuing to use her own position as a woman of power and influence to help others have it as well – regardless of gender.
“Empowering people, and making them feel they have a voice, is a truly rewarding thing,” she said. “When I can do that, that’s enough power for me.”
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