Paule

From Mirror staff reports

Blair County Republican Committee member Samantha Paule is running in her party’s primary for City Council.

“I hope to be a voice for the community,” said Paule, 33, who was born and raised in Altoona and resides on Fifth Avenue.

A stay-at-home mother, Paule has been reading documents, including the home rule charter, to help her understand city government, she said.

Paule spends time observing people to learn how best to help them, she said.

Paule has been providing that help where she can, especially for abuse victims, so they can escape their abusers and find resources they need, she said. She’s been providing such help one person at a time, but a seat on council would give her the leverage to help many more at once, Paule said.

A 2004 graduate of Altoona Area High School, she earned a bachelor of arts de­gree in political science with associate degrees in French, geography and Latin Ameri­can studies from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

She studied for two years at the University of West England in Bristol, England.

She has a 3-year-old daughter, Misha, and a fiance, Dan Woytowiez.

She would like to make the city a “great place for families and businesses,” she said. “I want to help others by listening to what they have to say and (acting) on it.”