(Rainbow Maldonado Campaign Press Release, September 27, 2023; Photo credit: City of Pocatello)
Pocatello, Idaho – In a bid for Seat 1 on the Pocatello City Council on November 7, Rainbow Maldonado hopes to contribute back to the community she has loved and served nearly her entire life. Rainbow was born in Pocatello and lived in Port Orchard, Washington for ten years before returning to Pocatello before high school. She has called Pocatello ever since and offers the Council a wealth of experience and passion for living in Southeastern Idaho. Rainbow is the current community engagement and development specialist for the Government Volunteer Americorps VISTA. Seat 1 incumbent Scott Marchand is not seeking re-election.
Rainbow credits her biggest strength to her ability to make authentic connections within her community. From her perspective, time is the most valuable resource, and she is dedicated to servant leadership through personal, hands-on participation. As a lifelong community advocate, Rainbow cares deeply for Pocatello and its surrounding communities. She believes in understanding others’ viewpoints, opinions, struggles, and ideas as a way to connect to and understand the different trials and perspectives we face as neighbors.
While raising her family in Southeastern Idaho, Rainbow has contributed her time, knowledge, and skills to empowering others to fulfill their individual potential through professional and personal growth. In 2018, Rainbow led a community initiative to launch a youth leadership program for high school students through the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce. Now in its 5th year, the LEAP program promotes leadership skills and the importance of the connecting local high school students to their community. Rainbow is also the Founding Director of Kind Community. Her community involvement includes: Bannock Civitan (past President ), Gate City Rotary, Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber Chiefs, Pocatello-Chubbuck Leadership Graduate and Past President Board President and board member, Elevate leadership committee, LEAP committee, Girl Scouts of Silver Sage state board member, Zonta, Zoo Idaho Zoological Society board member, School District #25 Education Foundation Board of Directors, SD #25 Key Communicators Network member, AAUW, PHD6 Community Suicide Prevention Collective. She received the Mini Howard Award from the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce in 2022.
Rainbow’s vision for Pocatello mirrors the work she has continually engaged throughout her career to make Southeast Idaho a better place to live, work, serve, and recreate. Her approach is to serve on a Council that prioritizes the needs of its citizens through effective executive management, administrative leadership, public service, communication, stakeholder involvement, and sound management of day-to-day operations. Rainbow believes the City Council must work to build consensus while cultivating a united front on the predominant issues identified in the City’s 20-year vision. Like the City’s guiding philosophy, Rainbow is “Proud to be Pocatello,” with an understanding that this is a shared value embraced by local community organizations, businesses, elected officials, and community members. This value should be upheld through any subsequent efforts identified in the data collected about what matters most to our community: good schools, mentors, thriving businesses, advocacy resources, and affordable housing.
If elected, Rainbow will prioritize leading and making decisions with integrity, empathy, and conviction. She pledges to build on the capacity of our local area to continue to improve the economic future, safety and the quality of life for all with local businesses and the community’s citizens in mind. For more information about Rainbow’s experience and community involvement, visit her candidate page on Facebook.
