Hayden City Councilwoman Nancy Lowery plans to file paperwork today and begin campaigning publicly to become mayor of the growing city.

Lowery, 52, a mother of eight and grandmother to six, said she has accomplished a lot in 12 years on the council. A switch to mayor will give her new perspective, and a chance to contribute fresh ideas.

"I've seen a whole lot of growth," she said.

She worked to revitalize downtown, and helped establish the city's recreation department.

She improved Honeysuckle Beach and boat launch, and lobbied to get the Coeur d'Alene Ironman to go through town. City Hall has been upgraded and the senior center has been funded, all during her three terms in office.

Croffoot Park has been established and named after one of Lowery's mentors, former city administrator Bob Croffoot. Lowery was a city employee, including assistant to the administrator, before she ran for City Council.

Mayor Ron McIntire hasn't announced whether he'll run again.

She said she was heavily recruited to run for the state Legislature, but opted to continue her work with the city.

"I have been privileged to work alongside (McIntire) for many years," she said. "I want to continue moving forward" in the direction they've established.

Lowery has been serving as president of the Hayden Chamber of Commerce, and in that position she has picked a board of directors. Lowery and the board tackled the massive debt from the 2004 air show, Thunder Over the Prairie, and cut it in half.

Her full-time job, which she has held for two years, is aquatic manager at the Kroc Center, where she oversees about 75 employees.

She is a graduate of Lewis-Clark State College, majoring in management with a minor in political science.

As mayor, one of her top priorities would be to focus on the relationship between business and city government, she said.

The city must attract more sustainable businesses to town, including to its downtown corridor.

The city needs to continue working on its identity, being a place that draws people in and hosts events.

"If you create a sense of identity, people want to be a part of that," Lowery said.

One of the challenges, if she is elected, will be finding a way to close recent budget shortfalls. The city has had to continue drawing on its reserve fund, including draining nearly $400,000 out for the budget it just passed.

Revenues can't be increased by $400,000 and voters won't agree to raise the city's comparatively low levy rate, she said.

The experience she has had with the chamber's debt will be valuable as she tackles the city's budget problem, she said.

She acknowledged she has had her differences with City Administrator Stefan Chatwin, but said her public criticism of him wasn't intentionally personal.

"I don't believe in dirty politics," she said. "I do believe in accountability, honesty and integrity."

She was only trying to hold him accountable on travel expenditures that she believes were inappropriate, she said.