Meet Representative Holly Richardson of Utah’s 57th Legislative District

This is the second in a series of interviews of Utah’s elected officials. In addition to high-profile candidates, Utah has a lot of elected officials whose quiet work often goes unsung. With these posts, I hope to shine a light on the personalities that make up Utah’s leadership, not only on their work in government, but also what they are like as people.

The questions are a potpourri of the fun and the serious, and I hope allow us a small glimpse into the men and women who run our state.

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Representative Holly Richardson and I have long been friends. She’s got a ready smile, an easy laugh, and a quick wit, and it’s easy to like her. Not only that, but she has, unique among Utah’s legislators, two dozen children…yes, you read that correctly (and no, they’re not all toddlers, she says).

This year, when then Representative Craig Frank stepped down after discovered that he had moved outside of his district, Holly was elected by county delegates in a special election to replace him representing Legislative District 57. She was sworn in on January 31, 2011. We spoke last week.

First off, what do you do for a day job?

I’m a professional activist, a blogger, a mom and…I used to be, or still am, a mid-wife. I just don’t practice that anymore.

Let’s talk more about that in a minute. At any given time, what do you find in your purse?

I carry a mini-office around with me. I’ve got markers, pens, post-it notes, make up , a toothbrush, money, my iPad. Just about anything that I might need during the day.

Wow. That’s…impressive.

Gotta be ready!

True. Speaking of being ready, how did you get started in politics?

It really goes back to me being a mid-wife. Back in 2000, we had a mid-wife who was arrested for unlicensed practice of medicine, so we decided to work to change the law. It’s an issue I was passionate about, as I was–am–a mid-wife myself, so we [the mid-wives in Utah] organized, we took a bill reforming it to the legislature, and we got the law changed. It took four years and five sessions, but we were successful. It was great.

I’ve stayed involved since, so I’ve been involved for about a decade. Only over the last couple years have I been more engaged, especially in campaigns.

Do you have a favorite vacation?

I don’t take vacations…but I count camping with my family, or a business trip with my husband. We combine work and play to be a vacation.

What is the last book you read or that you have on the proverbial nightstand?

I actually have over a dozen books by my bed right now, but two come to mind. “Asking” by Jerold Pannas and “The eleven questions every donor asks.”

I can’t imagine why you’d be reading those.

You’d be surprised how applicable they are. I read a lot, though, and mostly non-fiction.

Any fiction?

I’ve got the last book in Clan of the Cave Bear series, but I can’t remember what it is called.

Bar soap or body wash?

Bar soap.

What was the most mischief you got into before you were twelve?

Not much. I was pretty good girl. Really. I cleaned my room, ate vegetables, watched my siblings for my Mom. I really was a good girl. I just never had any interest in getting into trouble.

Ok, then let’s try this: what was your proudest moment before you were eighteen?

Going to college at 16. I started at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, Michigan at 16, and then seventeen and a half, I transferred to BYU.

Wow. I guess you would have gone to BYU earlier…

But I was too young to move that far from home.

Did you meet Greg along the way?

Yes, there at BYU, but I was not that young when we married.

Leno, Letterman, or Conan?

Leno.

Pets?

Cats a plenty, and chickens…but I don’t think you’d call them pets.

Why are you a Republican?

I think the platform appeals to me. I’m prolife, pro-family, and I believe in fiscal responsibility. It’s very simple, but it’s really the heart of it.

Favorite Local Restaurant?

Tucanos…Los Hermanos.

James Bond or Mission: Impossible?

Bond.

Which actor?

[without any hesitation] Pierce Brosnan.

Greg’s (her husband) favorite meal?

You know, he is so easy-going that he eats anything I put in front of him. He just doesn’t have a favorite meal. Actually, it’s occasionally been a frustration since I started dating him, since I can’t make him his “favorite meal.”

What legislation are you working on right now?

The hair braiding legislation, as you well know. It’s an effort to move our state in some small way closer to free markets and less regulation.

[Publius Online has run several posts about the issue. You can find them here, here, and here]

What does the press miss in their reporting about you?

You know, I’ve had very favorable press. I’ve been very pleased with what they have said. I think part of it is because I have the blogger background, and I understand where they are coming from. I understand what reporters are looking for, and I’m much better at helping them with what they need.

However, there is one thing that people sometimes don’t know about me, or sometimes forget: my family. The press knows about them, but most people don’t know, or are surprised, when they hear I have two dozen children. They wonder “how is that possible?!” They think I have all toddlers, but you know, seven of them are teenagers. Twenty are still living, twelve are still at home under eighteen. All of them are very supportive. So, like I say, politics is a family affair. Everyone is very supportive of what I have done.

Thanks for your time, Holly. It’s been good to catch up.

Good to talk to you, too, Dan.

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You can get to know Representative Richardson better on her popular blog, Holly on the Hill, where she muses on politics and public policy.