County Commissioner Candidates

http://www.shapirorichards.com/

County Commissioner - Josh Shapiro

Rep. Josh Shapiro, 37, represents the 153rd Legislative District in Montgomery County in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Shapiro is a committed public servant who has worked in federal and state government for more than 15 years and was named “Best State Legislator” by Philadelphia Magazine. Shapiro was first elected to the House in 2004 and reelected in 2006, 2008 and 2010, and served as deputy speaker of the House from 2006-2008.

     While in the state House, Shapiro authored and led the fight to implement the farthest-reaching ethics and government reform agenda in a generation. As co-chairman of the Speakers’ Commission on Legislative Reform, Shapiro led an effort to reform state government by exposing the inner workings of state government to public scrutiny. Shapiro sponsored the first major rewrite of the House rules in decades that opened up House proceedings to the public, eliminated certain legislative perks and made House expenditures subject to public disclosure.  As chairman of the Legislative Audit Committee, Shapiro secured unanimous support to require the General Assembly to return its nearly $200 million surplus to the taxpayers and establish stricter financial controls over the expenditure of state funds.

     Shapiro is a 1995 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Rochester and received his law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2002. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar.

     Shapiro was raised in Upper Dublin township. He and his family live in Abington Township in Montgomery County.  He is married to his high-school sweetheart, Lori.  The couple has four young children, Sophia, Jonah, Max and Reuben. 

County Commissioner - Leslie Richards

Supervisor Leslie Richards, 43, represents Whitemarsh Township in Montgomery County. A businesswoman who has helped create private sector jobs, Richards has made a difference in our community. Richards was elected in 2007 and has served as both Chair and Vice Chair of the Whitemarsh Township Board of Supervisors.

     In Whitemarsh, Richards protected taxpayers by cutting government waste and balancing the budget for three consecutive years and did not raise taxes. Richards supported numerous measures to make government more open and transparent, such as establishing the first local government cable channel and a citizen-led Ethics Advisory Board and Media Communications Advisory Board. Under Richards' leadership the township completed major stormwater projects, re-established the Whitemarsh Township Authority to manage sewer operations, and preserved over 400 acres of Erdenheim Farm as open space.

     As a Senior Project Manager at a woman-owned civil engineering firm, Richards is experienced with managing multi-million dollar infrastructure projects like bridge rehabilitations, road repairs, streetscape improvements, trail and park development, environmental assessments, and feasibility studies. She understands the importance of getting a job done on time and on budget as well as meeting a payroll.

     Richards is a 1989 graduate of Brown University, where she concentrated in Economics and Urban Studies. She received a Masters of Regional Planning from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993.

     Richards has lived in Whitemarsh Township for 17 years with her husband Ira. They have three children, Ben, Sophie, and Rebecca.