Spouse profile: Amber Richardson
By Scott Faughn
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — More things must fall into place than meets the eye for Rep. Todd Richardson, R-Poplar Bluff, to serve in Jefferson City. And many of those things are done by his wife, Amber.
“Todd and I are very close,” Amber said. “We text all day, and when he is home he really steps up and prioritizes spending time with our son. Probably the most important thing for us is we like hanging out with each other.”
The decision to run for State Representative wasn’t one that Amber or Todd took lightly.
“It took a great deal of discussion about where we wanted to be with our lives and if the time was right for us,” she said. “Fortunately, we knew more about it than most first time candidates because of his father’s time in the legislature.”
She said she agreed to sign on for the first race, but with his commitment that if it did not work out for their family then he wouldn’t run again.
“Yes, when I agreed to the first campaign I did get that commitment, but we are making it work and he really enjoys serving his constituents,” she added. “Besides, as a voter I really feel he is the person I want to vote for.”
Throughout the halls of the Capitol she is known as Richardson’s wife, but in Poplar Bluff she is better-known as a licensed psychologist who practices at the new Black River Medical facility.
“I truly enjoy my job,” she said. “I was working on my doctorate during the first campaign, and it was getting very hectic, but we managed and now I really enjoy my practice.”
Of the ways the Richardson’s make it work are utilizing face time on their iPhones, doing off-session and weekend traveling together and keeping a text conversation going all day.
“I really can’t imagine how husbands and wives kept connected before cell phones,” she joked.
The Richardson’s are expecting their second child, and most of the people in the political culture found out during a speech Todd gave in Van Buren last month.
“We approached it like we do most decisions by talking it out and when we were done we both decided it was alright to go ahead with it,” Amber said when asked how the conversation went where he proposed making the announcement in front of 400 people.
Editor’s note: Publisher Scott Faughn used to work for Todd Richardson’s dad.