Forgive Paul Ybarra if his watch isn't always in Central Standard Time. Time zones often become blurred.
From England, to the Netherlands, to Germany, India, Israel and other Middle Eastern countries, Ybarra's job as the vice president of sales for Tangoe, a global software company, has allowed him to see the world on a regular basis in the last year and a half.
"It's pretty exciting as I didn't travel much growing up," Ybarra said.
His most recent trip took him to Tel Aviv, the second-most populous city in Israel on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline, with another stop in London, a frequent place he works from and where he has an apartment.
Sometimes, his trips are for a few days, while other times they can extend to a week or two.
While exciting, he explained the return flights are the best part.
"Other places around the globe are exciting to travel to," Ybarra said. "But this is home."
Home is Waukesha
It's where he is raising his family with wife Stacey, where he grew up, where his father, grandfather and great-grandfather worked and where he has served as an alderman for the last seven years.
However, Ybarra recently stepped down from his aldermanic post once juggling this duty along with being a successful family man and business man became too much.
"I'd go on a trip, come right back, make it back to a Council meeting or other meeting and just see (my children, Zoe, 9, and Quaid, 6) before they went to school," Ybarra said. "And (with the time difference when gone) I'd live a full European day and then a full US day calling staff and researching topics and it was becoming unfair to my family."
The family took advantage of when Dad was home. They saw him in action at Common Council meetings as Zoe and Quaid shared cookies with aldermen and others. And mom and the kids joined him on his most recent business trip when they met him in London.
Uneasy trip home
The city was packed with the Wimbledon tennis tournament going on and the kids saw plenty of landmarks, but Ybarra's trip was shortened after he heard the unsettling news his father died after a sixth-month battle with liver cancer. The funeral services were Friday.
"It only reinforces the small amount of time that we all have," Ybarra said.
He wants to use this time to spend more time coaching his children in the sports they play.
Nevertheless, it sure was a strong run as alderman.
Ybarra is a lifelong Waukesha resident, but he became more involved with the city after owning Sprizzo restaurant in downtown with his wife and another couple. This led him to becoming vice president of the downtown Business Improvement District before being appointed to the Common Council in 2006.
Focus on public safety
It was during this time that Ybarra, who was named by his fellow aldermen as Common Council president for two straight years, fought for public safety.
He said it started with being a leader in the city's quest for Great Lakes water so future generations can have a sustainable water source.
It continued with leading the effort to create an ordinance that banned registered sex offenders from living within 750 feet of a Child Safety Zone, such as school, park, playground, daycare center or recreational trail, and prohibited them from loitering at these locations.
He also fought hard in having the city ban K2, a synthetic marijuana, that was labeled as incense, a couple years ago.
"Parents didn't understand how dangerous this was because they were selling it at retail stores and it was becoming an epidemic," Ybarra said. "It was claiming lives in Waukesha County."
Ybarra took an aggressive approach with these important issues but did so in a collaborative way.
"I always worked with people and loved to debate issues but would leave the personal aspect out of it," said Ybarra, who brought a calm approach to the Common Council. "You can disagree without being heated because when that happens people stop listening. Other alderman might have different vantage points and if you don't listen you can never learn anything new."
Former mayor Larry Nelson recognized Ybarra's leadership skills right away when naming him to the Plan Commission.
"I believe Paul's leadership on public health and safety issues will be his greatest legacy," Nelson said. "Elected officials like Paul are one of the reasons Waukesha continues to be a great city."
Ybarra thanks Nelson for the belief he had in him as well as former mayors Carol Lombardi and Paul Vrakas and Paul's son Dan, the county executive, and his fellow aldermen, most notably Alderwoman Joan Francoeur and Alderman Eric Payne.
Giving back
Development is an area Ybarra said the city has significantly improved upon in recent years but also where Waukesha needs to be careful with by building too many "monstrous, high-dense apartment complexes." He said "development is best when the city pushes for the highest standards and doesn't get boring or low-end."
Besides giving his time on development projects, giving back to those in need was just as important.
He donated a quarter of his yearly aldermanic salary ($6,500) last year to the Christmas Clearing Council of Waukesha County, which promotes and coordinates giving to families in need during the Christmas season.
"Now that I'm having some success in the business world and in a position to do so, it's exciting to give back," said Ybarra, who utilized the nonprofit growing up.
And last year Ybarra, with his aldermanic checks, funded his daughter's field trip at Meadowbrook Elementary to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.
"I've never done this job for money," Ybarra said. "You do it for the love of community."
It's a community that he will still be heavily involved in, just not as an alderman or the mayor.
"Some people thought I was giving up the alderman seat to plan a run for mayor (in 2014)," Ybarra said. "I say thank you to those people who think that, but I've never had ambitions for that. I think some people think when someone is passionate in their job they always want to do more."
Emotional goodbye
He leaves with some advice for the next alderman.
"They have to be passionate about the city and do research on every issue by talking to fellow staff members, aldermen and by getting the opinions of your neighbors," Ybarra said. "No one person has all the answers."
He learned this along the way and was recognized for his efforts at his last Common Council meeting a few weeks ago. He was given a street sign that said "Ybarra's Way" to symbolize the impact he had within the streets of Waukesha. His children each got one, too.
"I couldn't have done this without my wife and family," Ybarra said. "It was an emotional night, because it's hard to say goodbye to something you love."