Helping to lead the town that raised her
Staff writer
Danielle Bartel never imagined a career in local government.
Today, she’s responsible for helping lead the town that raised her.
“When I started at the city, I realized that I had found my people,” Bartel said. “It’s a group of professionals who care deeply about people and long-term visions.”
After five years as Hillsboro’s city clerk, Bartel recently became city administrator, moving from a position that quietly kept City Hall running to one that helps shape its future.
The promotion means more than a new title.
“Our community has invested in me throughout my life,” she said. “Our family has experienced what ‘it takes a village’ means. Local teachers, coaches, coworkers, friends and community members have helped shape who I am and are helping to shape our children, too. Serving as the city administrator is an opportunity for me to give back and is not a responsibility I take lightly.”
A Hillsboro native and graduate of Hillsboro High School and Tabor College, Bartel never regarded local government as a career option until she joined the city staff. Once she did, she found a profession built around service.
She also found a new appreciation for work residents rarely see.
“What surprised me most about local government is truly how much our employees do every day to keep the lights on, the water running, and so much more,” she said.
Much of that work happens before a council meeting begins. Employees spend hours coordinating projects, weighing competing priorities, and working with neighboring communities and professional organizations to solve problems that no small town solves alone.
Bartel credited former city administrator Matt Stiles with teaching her the importance of giving elected officials time to study major issues before making decisions. Former interim administrator Michael Webb reinforced another lesson: Slow down, ask questions and don’t mistake the quickest answer for the best one.
Around 2020, several longtime employees retired, taking more than 125 years of institutional knowledge with them. Replacing that experience, Bartel said, will take years, but she sees the transition as a chance to evaluate long-standing practices and ask whether they’re still the best way to serve residents.
“We don’t need to change a process just to change it,” she said.
Just as important, she wants residents to trust City Hall, even when they disagree with its decisions.
“I hope residents can walk out feeling heard,” Bartel said. “We won’t always be able to provide the answer someone is looking for, but we can listen and explain the situation honestly.”
To her, being approachable means listening first, treating people with respect, and explaining why decisions are made.
Bartel and her husband, Eric, are raising three sons. They chose to stay in Hillsboro because they wanted their children to grow up in the same kind of community that invested in them — where neighbors know each other and young people are encouraged to succeed. She enjoys gardening, spending time outdoors, and cheering from the stands at her sons’ activities.
She wants the city not just to complete projects but to be stronger, with its employees supported and its residents better connected to work being done on their behalf.