One goal of the Republican Women’s club is to support and build up our women in office. As we were thinking about how to do this in new ways, we came upon the idea of interviewing the Republican women in Richland county who are in office, who are running for office and who support those in office. These are women that you may know personally, or maybe, have never heard of, but this is our chance to ask them a few questions and look into the heart of their work.
Our featured interview for the month of September is Richland County Commissioner, Marilyn John.
What inspired you to become involved with the Republican Party?
My parents were conservative and they raised my siblings and I with conservative values. They taught us to work hard, value life and be financially responsible. They spoke openly about politics and saw voting as a privilege and obligation. After becoming an adult and beginning my career, I found my values more closely aligned with the Republican Party and followed politics, especially at the national level, very closely.
Why do you think Republican Women are important to our community?
The Republican Party has truly been the party of freedom and rights in this country. Republican women and men fought for the right of women to vote. This has led to women serving in office, in executive positions and having a greater impact in the direction of our communities, states and nation.
As a woman in government, how do you hope to inspire other women?
I began a leadership program, LeaderRichland, when I was first elected as a way to help young women see their potential in this world and spend time with strong female role models in our community. The program is for junior high students and we began with girls the first year, but have since switched between girls and boys. The program is 7 years old and more than 6,000 students have completed the program in partnership with OSU-M and NCSC.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with the Richland County Republican Women?
I’m very proud to represent the Republican Party and Republican Women as an elected official and appreciate those women that have supported me through my career.