Dear Neighbors,

This is the petition that started it all, and today (Sunday 6/22/25) and Tuesday (6/24/25) we need your vote at 1465 Orange TPK to help finish the job. Three years ago we stood in Town Hall together against a project that would have destroyed our quality of life in Monroe. Now, we face a Democratic Primary which will decide if Preserve Monroe can win in November's general election. Today is the last day for Democrats to Early Vote for Maureen and her team, Beth Stephens and Luis Rivera. 

I, Councilwoman Maureen Richardson, am now running for Supervisor to better address real community problems that I’ve spoken out about for years: responsible growth, quality of life, clean water, transparent government, and land preservation.

By 2021, I had lost both my parents to chronic illnesses and cared for them through the pandemic. Much of my early twenties was spent in pandemic isolation hospital rooms, slowly losing the people who raised me.

In the end, my parents passed on the home we spent our whole lives working to afford (and fix) to me. Just six months after I lost my mother and was well into pouring my heart and soul into the home I was born and raised in, the Dinosaur Theme Park was announced.

I couldn’t lose another piece of my parents, another piece of Monroe. Just six months after I thought I’d never stand again, I was standing in front of 200 people we had rallied against a project that threatened our drinking water and quality of life. I said something like, “we moved to Monroe so that the trees, the moon, and the night sky would be our neighbors. Slowly we’ve had that stripped away from us. But, we’re here to protect it.”

I walked away in a roaring round of applause and listened to 3 hours of comments from people who loved Monroe as much as I did. I went home to the silence my family had left me — but in the silence, their absence, there was the sound of awakening spring frogs, singing birds, and the rustling of leaves in the wind.

On and off the Board, I’ve been the strong voice that Monroe asked me to be. I’ve spoken out so that the sounds of Monroe never change. Now, I’m running with Bethany Stephens and Luis Rivera to create the community we’ve spoken to thousands of you about. We’ve heard you. Your voice matters to us. Communities are shaped by those who speak up. Leadership doesn’t come from those who remain silent on our community’s biggest issues.

Today, Sunday June 22 is your last chance to Early Vote before Election Day, 9am - 5pm at 1465 Orange TPK. Vote Maureen, Beth, and Luis to Preserve Monroe by Election Day is Tuesday June 24th!