Meet the Locals – Linda Bates

Linda Bates grew up in Parkers Prairie before moving away for 15 years, to work as a social worker in Orlando and Chicago.

Before her husband was tragically killed in an accident, Linda had planned to move back to Minnesota with her husband and their three young children. That life change brought Bates and her kids back to her hometown to be near her brothers and sisters.

Bates didn’t return to social work because it would have required longer commutes and time away from her kids. Instead, she volunteered in
the school, which led to a job in special education for a couple of years. And now she’s worked the last 22 years in the media center at Parkers Prairie High School. She jumped at the chance to take a job where she could keep up with technology, she said.

Bates is in her second term on the Parkers Prairie city council, working for a “common-sense approach to things.” She’s an advocate for the
local ambulance, which is a struggle to operate since it’s rented and not owned, she said. She helps with projects to help fund the ambulance
service which she deems as very important for the community.

Besides work, her city council duties and spending time with her now-grown children and grandchildren, Bates is an avid reader and bicyclist. She snowshoes in the winter and is a member of a book club. She enjoys the safety and relaxed feel of living in a small town like Parkers Prairie.

“We have opportunities for young people to grow,” Bates said. “I’m very proud of my hometown. You try to keep it up, keep it modern, try to attract businesses. I like the simplicity of it.”