Fort Smith - Probably more than anyone else, Denise Yuhas knows what's going on in Fort Smith.

That's because her two jobs keep her closely in touch with what people are thinking and doing.

Fort Smith's Denise Yuhas has two jobs -- hairstylist and constituency assistant for Thebacha MLA Michael Miltenberger. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Yuhas is both a part-time hairstylist and the constituency assistant for Thebacha MLA Michael Miltenberger.

The jobs are somewhat similar in that people tell her their problems.

"Some days I think I should have been a social worker," she said.

Yuhas said hairstyling is a very personal service for her customers. "They're trusting you with how they're going to look with other people."

And with that personal contact and trust, Yuhas hears what people are thinking.

"You're with them through the good stuff and the bad stuff," she said, noting people talk to her about everything from births to funerals.

After a while, a hairstylist really gets in touch with the community, she said. "You definitely got your finger on the pulse if you're a good listener."

But with that trust also comes a responsibility to keep the information private.

"If I told five per cent of what I actually hear and know, I would be out of business a long time ago," Yuhas said.

While she listens to people's problems, her main obligation as a hairstylist is to do that job well. "The big thing is if you can make people feel a bit better about how they look, then you're doing a good job."

She opened her hairstyling salon Shear Fun in 1991, after learning the trade at a college in Edmonton.

Yuhas became a constituency assistant seven years ago.

She said, while she still enjoyed hairstyling, it was predictable. She could look in her scheduling book and know what she would be doing every half-hour two weeks in advance.

"I just needed a change," she said.

The two jobs are different, results come at a different pace.

As a hairstylist, Yuhas said, "I get to see the results of my work several times a day."

As a constituency assistant, she said she stays on an issue until the work is complete. "I like to see the results."

Yuhas deals with a wide variety of issues, but many involve the basics of making sure people have enough to eat and a place to stay.

While she has learned not to carry other people's problems home with her from her hairstyling salon, the same cannot be said of her role as a constituency assistant.

She said those problems are never far from her mind.

Yuhas also works to keep what she hears as a hairstylist apart from her work as a constituency assistant. "I've got to keep them separate."