Ms. Tarah Probst has made a lot plans in life, but becoming mayor was never one of them — until…

ai???I was never put in a position as a community leader. I was a mad parent school board meeting for two years,ai??? said Probst, a mother and business owner. ai???After the sad passing of Mayor Deihl, they just contacted me one day and asked me if I wanted to run for mayor.ai???

Probst ran against Mr.Ai??Bob Phillips, a Republican, to fill in the unexpired term of Deihl. Probst won the November 3rd election. She took office on January 4th.

For Probst, working hard has always been in her nature. She graduated from East Stroudsburg High School when she was only 16 and graduated from Kingai??i??s College at age 20. Her brother, who was an attorney, inspired her to go to Widener University Law School and obtain her law degree.

After finishing her education, Probst, worked as a sales representative and eventually got into the advertising business. Today, she ownsAi??Multi-Media Advertising Solutions, and is a landlord. On top of that, she has an eight-year-old son.

ai???Iai??i??m type A. It takes a lot of energy. Itai??i??s hard to do it on your own,ai??? said Probst, regarding the struggles of juggling so many responsibilities. She stresses the importance of having a support system. ai???It takes family and friends. All of the money in the world means nothing without friends.ai???

The job of mayor has always been a public image position, but Probst plans on using her marketing skills and knowledge of Stroudsburg to transform the downtown area of Stroudsburg.

ai??? Iai??i??m taking the job a little further. Iai??i??m a marketing major [so] Iai??i??m promoting this town.ai???

Probst loves the downtown area and has many plans for it. This summer, she plans on having concerts from June 2 to August 4. She also wants to open up a cheese shop called The Charcuterie Inc.

ai???Every business [ in Stroudsburg] is unique,ai??? said Probst. The Charcuterie Inc. will sell cheese sandwiches, organic tea, soup, biscuits and pastries. The Charcuterie is expected to open sometime this year.

Probst has nothing but love for the Poconos.

ai??? My whole family is from here. I have true local roots. Iai??i??m so proud of where Iai??i??m from and how it has evolved. I Ai??love the proximity to New York and the mountains,” said Probst. She loves the people more than anything else.

ai??? The people are wonderful. People moved from New York and New Jersey to make this their home.ai???

Probst’s passion for the Poconos just goes to show that she will excel at being mayor, just as she does with everything else.

Probstai??i??s advice to young people is to live in the moment and to go after whatever they are passionate about.