As a military wife, Peggy Burt Edwards has lived in a lot of different places. One place that has always served as a place of community is the library.
“The public library has always been one of the first places we find when we move to a new military assignment,” Edwards said.
As COVID-19 led to lockdowns and mask mandates in 2020, Edwards got involved with local government for the first time by joining Madison Informed Citizen. The premise of the organization centered on the idea of watching a local government board or committee.
Edwards chose the library board because it serves as a valuable resource as she homeschools her children.
“I was concerned about how the closures during COVID affected the community and I wanted to make sure those who did not agree with the COVID measures would be represented,” Edwards said.
After attending several meetings, Edwards saw the bond between board members and felt drawn to run for the board herself.
serving our community, safeguarding our values and stewarding our sacred funds.” Photo credit: Peggy Burt Edwards.
Upholding traditional values
Edwards graduated from BYU in Marriage, Family and Human Development. Her schooling and her work as a mother informed her desire to protect all children and get involved in places that her children frequent — like the library.
“I will be a voice to ensure there is access to age-appropriate resources as well as safeguard children’s development by working to protect our community’s values that embrace traditional marriage, biblical manhood and womanhood and the virtues that build culture and civilizations. I will always work to protect children and never support or vote to allow drag Performers in the library.”
She plans to ensure that parents of school-age children and individuals with disabilities feel represented on the board.
One of Edwards’ passions is domestic arts, specifically pertaining to food history. She gained these passions from checking out library books The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.
“These two books changed my trajectory so that for most of our military career I worked to grow our food in our yard no matter how big or inhospitable,” Edwards said.
She focuses on fighting food insecurity after spending six years on a military base in Washington DC.
“I am training to be a market gardener who grows crops intensively in small areas,” Edwards said. “My home is the location of my first market garden, called Little Stream Farm, because I believe we all can make a difference no matter how small.”
To learn more about Edwards’ background and platform, visit her website.