THE RACE FOR COSTA MESA CITY COUNCIL

Jennifer Kho

Surrounded by cozy flower patterns, vibrant solids and wooden

furniture, Libby Cowan takes a seat and a deep breath.

“This is me,” she said. “It’s very comfortable for me and it reflects

who I am and who my family is. It’s not an overly busy place. It’s just

comfortable.”

Cowan, a City Councilwoman running for reelection, looks almost as

comfortable on the dais.

But she hasn’t always been a “people person,” she said.

“My natural instinct would be to be more of a hermit, more isolated,”

said Cowan, who has lived in Costa Mesa for 22 years. “But that doesn’t

seem to be my calling. I find I’m happier when I fight that urge to be

isolated. Choosing to run for City Council was really stepping outside of

that comfort zone. It was a challenge for me, a growth experience.”

Cowan said she has challenged herself consistently throughout her

lifetime, like when she was president of her college dorm and the leader

of her former Girl Scout troop.

She said challenges and growth are what the human spirit is all about,

a sentiment she learned from her parents.

She was raised in a small town in Illinois until she went to college,

and then followed her parents to California after she graduated as a

sociology major.

Her belief in equal opportunity and social justice, and her desire to

contribute to “the public good,” are also fundamental morals her parents

instilled in her.

Following those ideas, she said she has become more outgoing.

Now she views the city as her home and the community members as her

family and friends.

“I don’t relish going to cocktail parties; I’m just not comfortable at

those,” Cowan said. “But I love to have family and friends over, and now

I consider the community part of my friends and family. I think it would

be great if everyone in Costa Mesa felt that everyone else were their

friends and family, too.

“Whatever I do, I try to create a sense of belonging and a sense of

community because we cannot be our best without coming together.”