Kuehl-Berns finds value in being involved at a young age

By Audrey Posten

Service to the community is something Kaitlyn Kuehl-Berns saw firsthand growing up in Clayton. Her mom was on city council for much of her childhood and two grandparents—her mom’s dad and her dad’s mom—served too. Her grandma was even mayor at one point. A great-grandfather was also on the school board and city council. 

Was there pressure to get involved at an early age?

“I wouldn’t say, like, verbally, but maybe leading by example,” Kaitlyn acknowledged.

Kaitlyn was active on the drill team and student senate during her high school years at Clayton Ridge, eventually serving as student body president. After graduating in 2019, she headed to Kirkwood Community College and later Loras College, where marketing grabbed her interest. But even then, Kaitlyn knew a cookie cutter career wasn’t in the cards.

“My mom owns Bill’s Boat Landing and my dad owns Clayton Hills Campground, so having two parents that own their own businesses, I didn’t really see working for a traditional company,” she said. “It was always ‘What can I do?’”

That opportunity presented itself in 2022, just before Kaitlyn graduated from Loras. A Clayton bed and breakfast, the Claytonian Inn, went up for sale.

“When I found that out, I’m like, ‘This is my opportunity to buy it,’” she recalled.

Thanks to scholarships and working at Bill’s Boat Landing, Kaitlyn had enough savings to make an offer. But she was admittedly nervous.

“Who’s gonna take a 21 year old seriously about property on the river?” she wondered. “But it was almost like [the owner] was excited. Soon after talking to her, it felt like she was picking me.”

After taking over the Claytonian Inn, Kaitlyn began renting out the three hotel-style rooms as well as the house on the property. She hoped to remodel for the first time since the 1980s, but Mother Nature had other plans. Historic flooding struck Clayton and other Upper Mississippi River communities in spring 2023. 

“Six months to the day after I closed on it, I had four feet of water in my basement,” Kaitlyn said.

Plans shifted to securing the foundation and replacing the heating and cooling system. 

Kaitlyn, who was then into her second year on the Clayton City Council, handled it all while assisting her mom at Bill’s Boat Landing and spearheading efforts to protect the community.

“I kind of took charge,” she said. “And that’s why I ended up running for mayor that fall.”

Kaitlyn oversees about 80 properties and 46 full-time residents as mayor of Clayton, although she said the makeup of the community changes drastically from Tuesday to Friday and winter to summer.

Clayton’s small size means Kaitlyn and the five-person council handle a lot of details. They meet regularly the third Tuesday of each month, but Kaitlyn has also implemented monthly workshops.

“I could do all the work and then just present it at a meeting, but I want the counsel to be involved, so that’s why I do that. And it gives the community an opportunity to be involved in the discussion too,” she said. “I don’t know if the council all love that they have to meet twice, but I think it’s for the betterment of the community.” 

Kaitlyn also makes a point to be at the city office every Tuesday for a few hours. Residents rarely stop by, but she believes it’s important they know she’s there. 

During Kaitlyn’s mayoral tenure, Clayton has worked to review its code and add “teeth” where needed. She’s also prioritized organizing city information and making it more accessible, in addition to streamlining permit processes.

“Overall, just making everything more efficient,” she said. “The people in my circle probably get tired of me being like, ‘Can you believe what we talked about at the last council meeting?’”

Kaitlyn hopes others will consider getting more involved—whether it’s in Clayton or other communities.

“I think it’s important to get involved and be informed. It’s really not as hard as it seems to just know what’s going on. And there’s so much, so many different things around the community. It’s easy, if you look, to find something to care about and get involved in,” she shared. “Open the door to meet new people and make connections and build relationships. They’ll benefit you.”

As if city government and business ownership don’t keep Kaitlyn busy enough, she also coaches the Clayton Ridge Drill Team, a group that meant a lot to her as a student. 

“Coming out of high school, in the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to coach someday, but I didn’t think I would get that opportunity so soon,” Kaitlyn said.

After one year as assistant, she’s now in her fourth season as head coach. She called it an easy transition.

“For the most part, writing the routines comes easy. Learning the process of the season and what goes into it was also pretty easy because that was something I did for four years and I had an awesome mentor to help me learn everything. Some of the struggles we’ve dealt with is just low numbers and low involvement,” she said, “so I’ve tried to combat that by promoting the program. It’s not something you really know about unless you have a family member or friend who does it. So just making sure people learn about it, take it seriously and respect it.”

Kaitlyn has been proud to advocate for the program and the girls on her team.

“My goal through doing it is just to create an environment that they can challenge themselves and build relationships and be successful,” she reflected. “That’s why coaching the drill team is probably the most rewarding thing that I do.”

At just 24, it’s hard for Kaitlyn to believe she’s accomplished so much.  

“I had this long list of goals and things I wanted to do. They were big dreams, and so many of them happened so fast,” she said. “But looking back at things I’ve done, or people who I’ve had as influences, it makes complete sense. I’ve known other people who did it.”