COEUR d'ALENE - Thirty-year-old North Idaho College student and writer Amber Copeland announced her run for Coeur d'Alene City Council.

It's the first run for office for the psychology student and single mother of four children, and Copeland is proposing a number of changes at City Hall, including exploring term limits for council members, getting the council to better share information with a Facebook page and working to recruit more events to the city as an economic boon.

She also wants to represent a voice to people who feel they might not have it.

"I want to inspire a more positive political experience," Copeland said Friday on her reason for running. "I see people in my generation, and people in general, not taking an active stance, choosing instead to have all these opinions and not be informed."

Different perspectives from different generations offers the best range of opinions in a democracy, she said, which is why she would explore ways to implement possible term limits for the commission members, to increase turnover with ideas.

"Instead of just getting stuck on the hamster wheel," she said, adding that she wasn't referencing the current council. "New perspectives are vital in a democracy to support growth and change."

The Bonners Ferry native has lived in Coeur d'Alene around 10 years. She is running for Seat 5, currently held by John Bruning, who is seeking re-election. Steve Adams is also seeking the seat.

She said she would favor a public vote on the McEuen Field concept, so everyone would be able to have their voice heard on the issue that inspired a "mix of emotions," she said.

"I think a public vote is what it would take to appease that negative feeling (the current council is) getting from the McEuen issue," she said. "There are too many differing opinions on it, and some people feel they weren't represented."

More transparency in government, she said, could be as easy as establishing a Facebook page. Many people get their news accidentally through social sites, so the tool could go a long way to putting a little splash on how and what information is presented.

A lot of city revenues, such as grants, are allocated to specific projects and can't be given elsewhere. It can't just be given back to the taxpayer, for example, so getting that info out there might help reduce tension from people who think the money should.

"Someone needs to put a little spark in there, make it exciting," she said about the presentation format. "I want to make politics more approachable to more people."

She said she is proponent of urban renewal, but feels two of the bigger projects the local agency is financially involved in, the education corridor and McEuen Field, should have been scaled back.

She said she would explore ways to attract more events, like large-scale musical acts, and countywide talent competitions, to Coeur d'Alene throughout the year as an economic engine.

She said she is seeking Seat 5 because Bruning asks the least amount of questions during meetings to city staff of all the seats up for election, and questioning is an important way to vet issues completely, she said.

She is currently on hiatus from pursuing her associate's degree, while she looks for work. Her children are aged 10, 8, 6, and 3. Copeland worked at an assisted living facility for people with disabilities for two years before going to school. She writes songs, blogs and is in the midst of writing a novel.