Lisa Richford named Mercer County Republican Committee Chairperson
By Regina Yorkgitis
Since Lisa Richford was appointed as the next Mercer County Republican Committee Chairperson on Dec. 4, her phone has been ringing off the hook.
“I’m invested in Mercer County,” said Richford, a 31-year-resident of Mercer County and 21-year-resident of Hamilton.
The daughter of a Ukrainian immigrant and a US Marine, Richford graduated from Hightstown High School in 1983. Before college, she worked in an attorney’s office in South Jersey. While studying at Rowan University, she helped judges with various projects and eventually earned her undergraduate degree in law and justice.
“I could see the good that I could do with that degree,” said Richford, who later attended the Thomas M. Cooley School of Law in Michigan, where she received her Juris Doctorate.
“I would say that I have a no-nonsense style,” she said.
A member of the New Jersey Bar, the Pennsylvania Bar and the Mercer County Bar Association, Richford has worked as an attorney on corporate and private cases with a variety of focuses, ranging from family services adoptions to medical device safety cases. Along the way, she has learned how to make tough decisions.
Through opportunities in her career, she has volunteered with Riding High Farms, an organization that provides special needs people with horseback riding therapy, for over 20 years.
“I’ve always felt strongly about social issues,” she said.
Richford, who has always identified as a Republican, began her first active work in politics when she worked on a reelection campaign for U.S. Rep. Chris Smith. She later volunteered on campaigns for former New Jersey Gov. Christine Whitman.
Richford, 48, ran for the position of Mercer County Surrogate in 2011, but was not selected. Since June 2011, she had served as the First Vice Chair for the Mercer County Republican Committee. On Nov. 17, 2013, former Robbinsville councilman Rich Levesque resigned from his position as county GOP chairman, and Richford was chosen as his successor.
The Mercer County Republican Party has struggled with finances, infighting and poor election results in the past. Richford even said that people close to her were skeptical about her decision to invest her time into the committee.
But, Richford is confident that she can create change.
“I’m not going to waste any time thinking about the past,” she said. Through a professional and organized approach, she hopes to move the organization forward.
Communication and accountability, Richford said, are two key elements she hopes to bring to the committee as chairwoman.
“You may not always like what I have to say,” she said. Yet, she plans to leave the lines of conversation open. Transparency and accountability with regard to taxing and spending, she said, is also vital in moving the party forward.
“I am serious about the position,” she said. “We want responsiveness from the leadership and I can bring that.”
There are 12 municipalities in Mercer County, and some are more financially stable than others. Many citizens struggle to maintain their household in the current economic climate, she said.
“Families are struggling and I see that day to day,” Richford said. “The economy has not bounced back.”
Although some sections in the county are doing better, the issues in one municipality inevitably affects the rest. To spark a positive change, Richford believes that the community has to unite.
“Our county has to come together with this leadership to move ahead,” she said.
She is optimistic about the future. In the short time she has been chairwoman, her phone line has been busy with people eager to help the cause. Richford recently appointed attorney George Dougherty as Counsel to the Mercer County Republican Committee. She expects that his knowledge will be a major asset to the community.
“It’s a big task and we are taking it one day at a time,” she said.
Today, Richford lives in Hamilton with her husband, 9-year-old son, three dogs and one lucky cat, who was rescued from Seaside Heights after Superstorm Sandy. She hopes to live in Mercer County for the rest of her life.
“I have pride in my community and I have a purpose,” she said. “The purpose is to move the county forward and let everyone’s voice be heard.”
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