Councilor Marilyn Richards first joined town government in 1980 and will say goodbye at the end of June.
Reminder Publishing file photo
EAST LONGMEADOW — After a career that spanned over 40 years in East Longmeadow town government, Councilor Marilyn Richards is bidding adieu at the end of June.
She has served on the Town Council since 2019 and June 30 will mark her final day.
Richards moved to town in 1976 alongside her husband, Norman Richards, after he had completed service in the Air Force. She was working at Baystate until 11 p.m. each night and when she would get home close to midnight, she noticed the neighborhood was pitch black.
Her first initiative — gathering petition signatures to create a Town Meeting article for street lights.
“That’s where I started, you know, just getting involved in the process, seeing how Town Meeting works,” Richards said. “This was all very new to us because prior to moving to town, we were moving with the Air Force and we really didn’t get too involved with those community events.”
Richards officially began her town government career in 1980 after joining the Council on Aging Advisory Board. She served for eight years until becoming the first woman elected to the Board of Selectmen in 1988. “I served in that capacity for three terms, that was nine years,” Richards said.
She was asked to fill a Planning Board vacancy in 1997 after stepping down from the Board of Selectmen.
“I fell in love with the responsibility,” Richards said. “I served 11 years there, and then stepped off the Planning Board.”
She said continued to do some committee work for the next several years after stepping down from the Planning Board as she almost immediately joined the Zoning Review Committee. She also has experience with the General Bylaw Review Committee and the Community Preservation Committee.
Richards said that the Town Council serves as a team, with seven different people bringing different gifts and talents to the table. She said what’s been exciting for her is being able to make decisions by reaching back into her past experiences.
“There’s a level of expertise that I have developed over time that have served both me and the town, I think, very well,” Richards said. “You know, just working with boards is always fun because you become more than colleagues, you become friends, and that’s what’s happened on the council. I’m going to miss the people I’ve served with.”
She added that she’s walking away with the lesson that anybody can do the job if they’re willing to put in the time.
“Do the research, just learn,” Richards said. “Learn everything you possibly can, because clearly, I had a degree in nursing. How did that teach me about town government?”
Once her final meetings are up, she said she is planning on taking some time to focus on self-care, and maybe explore some new opportunities.
She did say that she won’t be disappearing into the woodwork, and that you’ll most likely still be able to find her in the audience at meetings.
“It’s always been about the community,” Richards said. “There is so much satisfaction in getting involved and making a difference. Back in 1988 when I was elected to the Board of Selectmen, I never expected that this would be a career, but it did turn into that and the journey has been amazing.”
