Karin Richard is seeking your vote for the Park County Commissioners Board.
She cited her inspiration for seeking public office as the day-to-day interactions she had as a small business owner. Richard recalled the period leading up to the 2024 election, during which she watched customers in her store do the mental calculus of whether or not they could afford to make purchases.
“They were talking about all the pressures they were feeling financially,” Richard said, before adding that overtime, she watched those same financial pressures push people out of town.
“They went from buying things in my store, to just looking at things in my store, to not coming into my store altogether,” she said. “I know a couple of them moved away.”
After receiving encouragement from her trusted friends, Richard decided to throw her hat in the ring for the 2024 commissioners race. Ultimately, she would finish in third place during the 2024 Republican Primary Election, behind current commissioners Scott Mangold and Kelly Simone.
Though unsuccessful in her first bid, Richard said her experience in 2024 galvanized her to run again during the upcoming midterms.
“We’re kind of in the same place that we were in 2024,” Richard said. “…There are still issues that we’re really facing.”
More than anything, she said the key issue is that a population of Park County residents feel like they don’t have a voice in county politics.
“They don’t feel heard, they don’t feel respected, and they don’t feel like they really have a voice in what’s happening,” Richard explained.
To learn more, listen to Richard’s Speak Your Piece interview linked below.
