I'm Monica, and I'm running for Justice of the Peace because all families deserve a voice.

I am a Saline county native, having lived in Shannon Hills for most of my life, but always having the connection of my grandparents’ home there. That small acreage is where I explored and played with the neighborhood kids. I graduated from UALR with a bachelor’s degree in anthropology (my grandma's dream realized- she left school with an 8th grade education, and always wished for more), and then returned to get my master’s degree in professional and technical writing. I have served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, as well as formerly being on the Board of Ati’Day Yisroel Early Childhood Center in Little Rock. I worked as a graduate assistant at the UALR Graduate School, managing large documents of legal importance and serving on the Graduate Council, and until recently, I worked as a contractor writing and editing grants and other medical texts for the UAMS Institute of Digital Health and Innovation. That position gave me a lot of insight into the health disparities affecting Arkansans from the urban cities to the most rural parts of the Delta. I currently serve as the secretary of the Parent-Student Connection (PSC) at my daughter’s school, Easterseals Academy in Little Rock. 

 

My political experiences extend into childhood when I watched my uncle serve as State Representative in Yell county until he was term-limited, and then assisting with a neighbor's run for Justice of the Peace in Saline county in the early 2000s, as well as watching my mother serve a term as alderman in Shannon Hills. Once I turned 18, I never missed an opportunity to cast a ballot, including one about a millage for PCSSD that I wasn’t on the electronic roll for due to residing in Saline county. A call to the county clerk resulted in a paper roster being sent out to the correct polling location that showed those in my small section of Saline county that were in PCSSD were eligible to vote on the millage, despite the electronic roll being limited to Pulaski county residents. I credit my opinion of voting in even the smallest elections to watching my parents vote as kid, sometimes accompanying them into the ballot box, as well as rare experiences at their local union hall. I have also volunteered on campaigns both locally and nationally that she found inspiring. 

 

I believe that an educated and involved constituency is one that can make the best choices for the community, and that access to the ballot box is a right for American citizens that, while needing to be secure, shouldn’t be overly complex or intimidating. 

 

I live in Shannon Hills with my spouse of 10 years, 2 young children, ages 8 and 3, and our Australian Shepherd, in the house my grandparents purchased in 1964, when party lines were still the method of phone calls. I want nothing more than to make this space where my kids are growing up the best it can be.