Hello, I'm Zeke and welcome to the Zekely podcast. Let's talk, Pennsylvania.

The guest I have today is a union representative for the largest public sector union in Pennsylvania. She is an educator, a researcher, sits on multiple boards and is running as a Democrat for Delaware County Council. Thank you so much for being here, Monet Reilly.

I’m Zeke, a doctor, a Pennsylvanian and unapologetic supporter of Democratic values. You might have seen me on social media working my ass off for Democrats and meeting some pretty amazing people along the way - like President Barack Obama and Governor Josh Shapiro.

For years, I’ve knocked thousands of doors all over Pennsylvania and poured my heart and soul into supporting candidates and causes that make a difference—from local school board races to national elections. The personal is political, and I take every election in Pennsylvania personally.

Where the mainstream media has failed you, I will give you truth and independence. You’ll hear from Democratic leaders, candidates, and change-makers who are working to improve the health of the Commonwealth, and it won’t be boring as hell.

No matter where you are, I’ll meet you with hope and a plan to make your community better one day at a time. Welcome to the Zekely Podcast. Let’s talk Pennsylvania.

Hello everyone. Zeke, thanks so much for having me and it is a pleasure to be on your show today.

It's so good to see you. The last time we saw each other was, think, at a fundraiser last year, correct?

Yeah, it was for Amanda Cappelletti We played cornhole in your backyard.

I loved it.

I loved it. I love the name cornhole for Cappelletti was chef's kiss. It was so good.

If only I won, you know, I'm a bit competitive, so it's a little hard to lose in the final round of the fundraiser that you're planning, but it was still a great turnout,

It was good and Amanda Cappelletti won. So clearly that was good luck.

Yeah, so that's all that's important.

She's a wonderful state

senator, so that was great. Well, we have a lot to talk about, some games to play. So let's get into it, okay?

Okay.

right, let's test your local knowledge, We're gonna have some Delco County trivia. Okay, so we're gonna see how well you know your own turf, all right? I have faith in you.

Okay.

Sounds good.

Okay.

What

well-known medical institution located in Delco was one of the first in the nation to use the Da Vinci surgical system, the robotic assisted surgery.

I mean, we have, we have Crozier, which is really big. Is that it? Crozier? Great.

You got it. Yeah. How's your Chester

Medical Center? That's right. Which is pretty cool. I remember when they were advertising the robotic assisted surgery. So that's awesome that it happened in Delco. That's amazing. It's a good job. You are off to a good start. What historic Delaware County town served as a major stop on the Underground Railroad and still has preserved safe houses from that era?

We have so many nice historic

media.

It's actually where you live, Haverford. Haverford Township, yeah.

is one of our committee people, Collin McCrossan, who was putting together a lot of the slave history and Haverford and some of the tours that I need to go check out. wasn't sure if it was a stop, but he was doing a lot of that work to look at the history. how, because Haverford's actually also, like a really interesting.

study on redlining because like we are so close to the border like we border upper Darby and Philadelphia but we are still only five percent Black like you know even being on the border of such diverse minorities like

Yeah.

it still doesn't seem that like it has been able to break out of the redlining so then to look at like the the history of it it's just been really

Yeah,

I read an amazing book about redlining. It escapes me right now, but it really opened my eyes to just how much redlining segregated our country and the after effects are still seen to this day. What major sports figure known for breaking barriers and professional baseball briefly lived in Delaware County?

Ooh, baseball is not my... Really? a baseball fan. I know there is a great Villanova baseball player, Matt Caesar, that I went to school with, but I don't know if he was breaking any barriers. So, like I said, baseball is not my... Really?

I know, my wife is a huge baseball fan, she probably know this. Yeah.

Yeah.

It's Jackie Robinson.

Tasty cake? that? I was like, I know peanut trees, I've eaten them, but I didn't know who makes them.

Goldenberg's, peanut chews Goldenberg's? Mm-hmm,

there you go. And what famous NBA star attended a Delaware County high school before he transferred to Lower Merion? You got it. You know Delco, very

Kobe Bryant.

Clearly, Monet, you care about your community, whether it's helping animals or advocating for people. So what made you want to take the next step and decide to run for Delaware County Council?

So it's something I've been thinking about for a while. You know, I've always wanted to

involved in politics. I also really love my job, which limits me on the areas that I can get involved in because I can't leave my job.

but I also feel that my qualifications of what I do now for the union pair really well with the County Council responsibilities.

You know, I really wanted to make sure that we had candidates, including myself, that, you know, were of a diverse background, were well qualified, could, you know, kind of show a broad showing for experience. And I felt that I was, I was very well qualified.

I have to throw my name in the hat.

That's great. I'm happy through your hat in the ring.

So imagine you are running your first Delaware County Council meeting. What would Monet's minutes look like?

So I think one thing that I've really appreciated about Haverford that they do a lot with these proclamations I don't know if you heard but Google took out all of the calendar pieces for Black History Month for Women's History Month and it's something that

do here in Haverford that I've really enjoyed and I think that's something we can do in the county is to recognize especially, you know, needing to fill that hole now that's been left in the wake of the new Trump presidency of making sure that those things are recognized.

And then also, as going through business, I think it's important to offer a tiny explanation for what you're voting on. One, it shows that we know what we're voting on and that we did that homework and we read the documents.

and we know what they are, also giving access to government and making sure that the people that are in the room or watching the meeting also have an idea of what the warrants are, what they're paying for, what the program is that their taxpayer dollars are going to.

I hope you get to have that moment.

We're going to play a round of Karao Zeke OK, this is the first time we're ever going to be doing this, maybe the last time we're ever going to do this. I'm going to sing you songs from movies that feature animals, and you're going to guess what the movie is. It could be animated or otherwise.

Okay.

So I don't have to sing.

You don't know I have the thing and I have

to say I am a terrible singer. I don't know if you're gonna enjoy this or not, I will sing one verse and this is best of three movies, okay? All right, good luck Oh this is the night, it's a beautiful night and we call it Belenote.

guesses?

I don't know, but is it animated? I'm trying to think of an animated love movie, so maybe Lady and the Tramp. Oh, yes.

This is going to take you back a little bit. You have to go back a little bit.

It is animated.

Oh, you got it. Lady and

the Tramp. Perfect. You got the first one right. Excellent. All right, number two. And I'm almost there, almost there. People down here think I'm crazy, but I don't care. Trials and tribulations have had my share. There ain't nothing gonna stop me now, cause I'm all.

All right, ready for number two.

So I don't know this one, so give me some hints.

Okay,

well, it's animated and I don't want to give too much away. It's a love story, kind of. It takes place in the Bayou.

Okay.

Okay. Is that the Tiana?

Yes, yeah, the princess and the frog. You got it. Yeah, I'll give that to you, okay? All right, and here's the last one. Here's the last one. What did you say bout my brotha? That's not a stray that's my brotha You stay away from my brotha because I say so. This literally just came out. That's the hint I'll give you. And I did a terrible rendition of it, but that's as good as you're gonna get.

Princess and the Frog.

Okay, I'll take it. I can take a half point. It's okay.

you

A movie that just came out about animals. It's not Garfield. I heard the space.

just came out.

not Garfield. It is animated.

It's kind of like a live, it's really good animation. Like it's not like cartoonish.

One of the live-action remakes I could just take some wild guesses. Is it the I? Was like is it the new Lion King I heard stray, so I was thinking cats We have not gotten to see that yet,

Yeah.

I'll give you a guess. There are lions involved? Yeah, it's Mufasa. Mufasa, yeah, the lion king. You got it.

I mean, next time we'll talk. I'll make sure I watch it first.

All right, and maybe I won't sing them to you

next time. But thank you for playing Karao-Zeke with me.

all right well let's bring it even closer to home you live in Haverford so what's your favorite part of living there and raising your family

do.

I would say the green space. So I grew up in Philadelphia

while we had a little front lawn that was about it. you know, having sidewalks everywhere, having that little strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street, you know, the playgrounds, the parks, the coffee shops, it's just...

know, the walkable town that I maybe never thought that I, you know, would have growing up. So one of the things of my kid is, and I hid it under the blinds, but he's very into plants. So we spend a lot of time at Plant Roots, which is this really cute little plant shop on Brookline.

and he does his plant starters. We have red solo cups everywhere. And then once they get big enough, we get to take the trip to plant roots and he gets to buy a pot and they repot it for him. And they also have...

I don't know what they're called, but like the third Wednesday of the month, they have a pop-up, a flora pop-up. so you can go buy plants and incense. And then they also bring a local bar out that does like their food and drinks for the day. So it's also just a really nice community gathering. So it's just, it's a lovely place to live. Like it's quiet, kind of all those, those American dream, you know, things that they tell you about growing up.

Yeah, Haverford is very quaint. I like driving through Haverford.

Why are you a Democrat, Monet, and why do you choose to represent the Democratic Party?

So I was born and raised a Democrat and I think that's how a lot of, least my generation, you know, and think that's how a lot of people have their party. I grew up in Philadelphia. I didn't move to Delaware County until I went to college. So, you my mom is a lifelong Democrat and, you know, I really think that when I look at the party, like Democrats are the party of the people as in they work to make everyone else's lives better where I feel like

the other party tends to work to make their own lives better and not to say that you can't benefit by proxy but

you have to know that other people

I've talked about this really with the tax increase in Delary County, where there are some people like, well, it's only $50 a household. It's only the average of 127. It's like, you, I was a poor college student. So if your entire paycheck is gone the second that it hits your account, I don't have even another $10 a month to give you.

So and I think Democrats do tend to try to think outside of the box and say, even if this doesn't directly benefit me, that doesn't mean people don't need it.

And that's why I stick with the party. That's why I identify as a Democrat. And, you know, that's why I continue to run and try to represent the party

Yeah,

you bring up a good point. It shouldn't have to happen to you for you to care about, right? You should care about other people no matter what they're going through because you never know when you could be affected by anything in life. So if you support others, eventually you will be supported by the community as well.

Yeah.

Yeah, I we talk about, you know, one thing that I think is easy is the disability tax. I think disability is one of the categories that most people fall into at some point in their life, whether it's, you know, because they're elderly or because of they have an accident or injury. And it's something that you don't really think about or talk about until you're there. I'm someone who I've hurt my back before and I hurt my back before a big trip a few years.

and I ended up having to go in a wheelchair because I wasn't up and walking yet and just the...

the not that you didn't know it exists, but the eye opening of trying to get through the airport and having to get someone to push you through the airport and then having to pay that person to push you through the airport and then getting on the flight and then having to basically hope that there was someone nice enough to lift my bag into the overhead because it's not something that the flight attendants do. And then being in Florida and having to order an Uber XL every time we went anywhere because I had to make sure that it was going to be big enough to fit the wheelchair. And then I also had to hope

Right.

that the driver was able to lift the wheelchair into the car. know, other people exist and just because you're not currently in that doesn't mean that things shouldn't be accessible, that we shouldn't be thinking about things, that we should, you know, make sure that we have crosswalks that have sound to them so people know when it's safe to cross the street. And like I I think that those policies tend to come out of the Democratic side.

I agree, even just the scalloping of the sidewalk so that people can, you know, with wheelchairs or even strollers, strollers. mean, everything that we do to help the most marginalized amongst us helps everyone in a lot of different ways. 100%. And I agree, the Democratic Party harnesses those values much more. So I agree with

Yeah.

having changing tables in men's bathroom.

Now, politics is quite intense.

But when you are not doing all of this, what do you do for fun? You have any hobbies?

Right now it's a lot of watching TV because sometimes I just need to sit still and watching TV fills that void. So I actually think going to catnips is a bit of a hobby if I have a little extra time. Like I love going to hang out with the cats and kittens there. But when I'm out, like at a conference or something that I have more time or work, you know, if I can find some place with a pool table.

Mm-hmm.

I really love playing a game of pool. I used to be much better at it at college than I am now, but it's still kind of great to sharpen those skills and kind of get back to my, I always say pool minnow, not a pool shark, but my pool minnow skills, so yeah.

whole minnow.

That's cute. I love that.

So how good are you at pool? Were you ever ranked? Is that a thing? I don't know.

I was never

ranked, you I would play in bars though and people would invite me to play in their league. So they at least thought I was good enough to come play professionally. But I...

Okay. Did you make any money? You ever make any

bets and make any money?

I have at work conferences. my first work, when I first joined the union, they always have a conference in Gettysburg every year. And I was playing one of the managers who's now a staff person and big talk. And I hit this final eight ball bank shot and won the game and I've never let them live it down. And I got a free drink out of it.

Yeah.

got a free drink. That's great. I love it.

So we're going to play political pool. Okay? Yeah, I'm going to give you some multiple choice questions all revolving around pool and politicians.

Okay.

Which US president, a strong supporter of the New Deal, had a custom built billiards table installed in the White House and was known to challenge guests to games? Was it Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, or Lyndon B. Johnson?

Franklin Roosevelt.

Lyndon B. Johnson.

Rayburn great.

Yeah, Sam Rayburn. Yeah, he was a

gun control legislation or minimum wage increase.

I'm say the ACA. Really?

It was marijuana legalization.

Yeah, They were playing pool together and discussing the challenges of legalizing marijuana in the state. There you go. All right, and here is the last one. Before becoming president, this Democratic leader was known for his love of billiards and even had his own personal pool table, which he later had installed in the White House. Who was he? Was it Thomas Jefferson, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, or Jimmy Carter?

Yeah, I'm just gonna say Jimmy Carter.

was Woodrow Wilson. Yeah.

Well, I also want to talk about something incredibly important and it's representation in education. And you founded Mirrors in Education to help recruit and retain educators of color in districts with low minority representation. So what inspired you to start this organization?

So that was actually when I was doing New Leaders Council as a fellow, we had to do what's called a capstone project. Again, getting people to do the work more than just talking about it. And that was my capstone that very quickly kind of rolled into a real thing.

There were no teacher of colors at my kids' elementary school. Studies have shown that students of color do better when they're taught by a teacher of color. There's also just that familiarity of culture and understanding. And we need to find a way to make these spaces more welcoming and making sure that we are recruiting at the

know, the high school level and as well into

Yeah,

I looked at your website. It's just shocking how many districts in Pennsylvania have less than 2 % minority teachers. I mean, there's a whole list on the website of every district because your organization focuses on districts with less than 2%, right? And there's tons of them. It's crazy.

Yes.

Correct.

and over 50 % have no teachers of color at all.

I mean, obviously, representation matters. And so I think it's very important that you're doing this work. And I really hope that whatever your organization can do to raise the money, because obviously, from the federal level, those grants are probably going to go away, And so I really hope that the community can help prop it up, because I think it's so important, the work that you're doing.

I appreciate that.

And I'll be sure to post that link as well as we can check it out. So speaking of representation, let's play another game. And I call this game Mirrors Game, where you guess the movie and or show that showcases the importance of representation. All right. So a groundbreaking superhero film celebrating African culture, identity, and Afrofuturism.

Okay.

Okay.

Wakanda forever.

You got it,

Black Panther. You got it. Off to a good start. A horror thriller that cleverly critiques racism and systemic oppression.

Get out.

You got it. Get out. Very good.

The story of a teacher inspiring Latino students to defy expectations on standardized tests. This is I this was a great movie. I remember I saw this when I was in high school. It's so good.

and sanitize us, I don't.

I think you're gonna have to tell me this one. Okay, I'm gonna write that down.

All right, it's a Stand and Deliver. It was an amazing

movie. It really is so cool about this teacher who essentially taught a group of kids in high school how to take these prep courses. And they all scored phenomenally well. And then the board who grades them said that they were all cheating, essentially, because they scored so well.

Bye.

and they made them retake it. All the kids who took it to retake it because they just didn't believe that these kids in this class could have scored that well. And I won't ruin the end, but it's very good. So stand and deliver. You should definitely see that.

I will, because at

first I thought you were going a little towards Lean On Me because they were going towards their standardized tests. But then when you said Hispanic, I was like Lean On Me was black, so that wasn't the same.

Yeah.

Yeah,

Stand and Deliver, such a true story, such a great movie, so should check it out. And then, okay, a couple more. A show about voguing, ballrooms, and surviving in the LGBTQ plus community in New York City. And it had the largest transgender cast in Hollywood history.

I can literally see the title in my brain and I know exactly what show you're talking about, but I just cannot.

as a show.

Mm-hmm. it was a fabulous show.

Let me give you a hint.

Billy Porter.

I know the show you're talking about. I just can't think of the name of it.

And the category

is pose. Pose. Very good. Yes. Yes. You got with all the flashing lights and everything. Yeah. Oh, was so good. And then last one, a Bollywood inspired film that won best picture while highlighting poverty in India.

And it's like, almost looks like on stage, like the way that they're, yeah. Correct. That's what I can see it. I just can't make out the letters.

I've this movie. It's when he was on like how to become a millionaire. I can't think of the name of it though, but that's some dog millionaire. Yeah. That was a great movie.

Yeah, well, you got the second half of it. Slumdog Millionaire. I'll give that to you. Yeah, there you go. That was a

powerful movie. I mean, kind of disturbing in parts of it, but I mean, very powerful. And that's just a reality for a lot of people who live in that country. So it's very good. Well, good job. You got a lot of those.

Thank you.

So if you were elected to county council,

What are some of the specific issues you're hoping to tackle?

So the big issues for me is the housing issue. So housing is so expensive here. I have a good union job, I live in a condo and I can probably never move out of this condo and have a refurb because it is just so expensive. But when I look at my members, I have members that...

Mm-hmm.

make nine dollars an hour as a cafeteria worker or twenty dollars an hour, you know as a secretary and If you need three times the amount of rent To afford a twelve hundred dollar a month apartment you would need to make twenty two dollars an hour and there's no twelve hundred dollar a month apartments, know that are available here so when you get to you know, A seventeen hundred dollar a month apartment you're looking at about thirty two dollars an hour and we all know that most people don't make that kind of money. So one of the things that we've that i've been looking at is

models that other places have used. So some are what they call ADUs or accessory dwelling units. And it's the idea of putting a tiny house in your backyard if you can, if you have the space without having to be deemed a multifamily. So if you have a multi-generational household instead of, you know, grandma living in a single apartment somewhere else, you know, free up that housing, they can live with you, but you have that separate space.

Okay.

The other thing that I'm focused on is expansion of mental health. So, you know, in my role, because I also deal with disciplinary issues, you know, sometimes when I, when I meet a member, it's, the worst day of their life. So it's not as simple as, know, they're just coming in late. Sometimes they're coming in intoxicated, you know, sometimes their face just hit the front

newspaper and you they are going through you know a really rough awakening kind of where they are in our life and we've been fortunate that while we haven't lost many members especially over the aggregate of who we serve we have lost some and there are some that just honestly scare me half to death of you know where they are when I'm done talking to them so

I know, again, the county has been making sure that that work continues and that it's on people's radar or whoever's serving that like this is something that we really need and that we need to make it

priority and that we need soon, especially with everything else going on with the health system.

Those are great things to tackle. But speaking of tackle, are you flying high right now because of the Eagles victory in Super Bowl?

It is amazing.

I don't care if people say it was boring. I didn't think it was boring at all. I thought it was amazing.

It was a great game. Did

you do anything to celebrate the night that they won? Did you go downtown?

I did not. had to, I had had mom duties and Haverford was not one of the districts that gave a two hour delay the next day. So, you know, going down. did, I gave the kids the option cause I was going to do it. I said, you know, do you all want to make this trip? Cause we, I was going to take them and they were like, No

Yeah.

now.

Can you give me your best rendition of Fly Eagles Fly?

Do I have to do it by myself? I'm a bad singer too, but I can. Okay, you ready? This is gonna be synced. Okay. Fly, eagles fly, on the road to victory. Fight, fight, fight, fly, eagles fly. Score a touchdown, one, two, three. You're missing the leg, you're missing the rest of it. Hit them low, hit them high.

I mean, I'll do it with you. You ready? 1, 2, Fly, eagles, fly. On the road to victory. Fly, eagles, fly. E-A-G-L-E-S, eagles. Oh, I missed the rest of it? Oh,

god.

and watch those eagles fly. Fly, eagles fly on the road to victory. E-A-G-L-E-S, eagles.

E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!

I have to say, I don't follow sports and that is why I could not sing the entire thing. I'm probably more closely aligned to the mayor of Philadelphia who says it wrong all the time.

you

spelled it wrong. Did you see 6ABC also spelled it wrong the next day in their coverage? I was like, this is not a hard word.

I know. Well, that's amazing that I messed up

the song. Well, there you go.

Well, we know that not every election goes our way, certainly. And yet you are still engaged in the process. So what keeps you fighting even when elections don't go the way that you want them to?

there's always work to be done. And we see that, right? Like my election didn't go the way that I wanted it to do and now I'm Trump's president again. And I don't know how we made it here and there's a new fight every day. And I'm good, I'm really good at fighting for other people. And there's other people that can't, I think that's the big thing about allyship that I care so much about and I do is that you can't be in the group that you want to ally for. So I am a black woman.

I need people who are not black women to ally for me. Just like when women couldn't vote, they really needed men to step up and say like, this isn't fair. you know, the way that the system is structured, like you need those people. And I am blessed to have the resources. Like I will say, when I used to work before and I started as a low wage earner, know, like we we were poor growing up. Like my, when you think of like that hierarchy of needs, like I was very much in survival, you know, like I needed the basics. I needed food. needed.

a roof over my head, like there was no time to do anything else. If I had time to do something else, I was working another job. And then I was working another job after that just to make ends meet. And now, you know, being able to work for the union, gives me time to follow passion projects, to do things that I care about. But not everyone can do that because there are other people that have to go to their second or third job and don't have that luxury. So then it really means like people like, you know, myself need to step up to make sure that we're, you know, we're fighting that good fight.

Yeah.

I love that you talked about allyship. I feel like people don't always connect the dots with that. I mean, for someone who is Jewish, and there's a lot of anti-Semitism going around this country right now, I really think it's important for the Jewish community to reach out to other marginalized communities and to stick together because...

you know, every marginalized community is suffering in some way. And certainly the Trump administration and Republican policies hurt all marginalized communities. And we're only going to survive that by sticking together. So I really like that you bring that up. We all need to reach out to each other and not pit ourselves against each other. You know, that's what Republican politicians want. That's what the Trump administration, they want us all fighting amongst each other and not focusing on the major problems that are in front of us. And it's not

And then we

all lose. Yeah.

And then we all lose. Right.

So you let me know what you all need. It's a community. Because the one thing that I talk about in allyship is don't guess what the other community needs. You need to go to them and say, what do you need from me?

Right.

Right, yeah, I

mean, people post this meme all the time, you the silence is deafening, as if they feel like they're so alone in their community. And I feel like I have so many different types of acquaintances and friends that I know that there are lots of communities who do care about what the Jewish community is going through that are not Jews. And I know that within the Black community, there are lots of people in the Jewish community who care about what the Black community is going through and what the Latino community is going

I mean, we all have people that care, but I feel like the visualization is not always there. People just don't see that because we are so insulated within your community. So yes, you have to ask. And there's nothing wrong with asking. There's nothing wrong with that.

You have to ask.

And you know, there's some, I've seen it, like, hey, I don't see people posting about it. And it's like, because I'm drowning over here too. Like, if you want me to post about it, like, just tell me, like, I can shoot you a post, but otherwise, like, I'm also drowning and, you know, I'm also under attack and dealing with mental health and everything else. Like, we are not the chosen ones. So we are all under attack all the time. So like, what can I do to help?

Right.

Right. Thank you so much. Absolutely.

And I'm sorry, I mean, I don't know if you saw those Super Bowl commercials, like just atrocity, like.

I know with Kanye,

the swastikas, it's terrible. It's just an extension of all of the bigotry that is just becoming commonplace now. It's just spreading everywhere. But yeah, I appreciate that. And that's just, again, a reflection of the administration. And unfortunately, I don't see that going away anytime soon.

Free for all.

Well, let's shift gears a little bit. Are you into astrology?

I know my sign, but that's not it. I'm Libra. Yeah.

You're a Libra, correct? All right,

so we're gonna play a game where I give you some people in politics, and you're gonna try and guess what their sign is. Okay, so, yeah, I didn't know any of them. let's see, Josh Shapiro.

Okay, I only know one, but we'll see.

Really?

You got it. I'm impressed. He was born June

Okay, next one. Mary Gay Scanlon, our Congresswoman.

I have no idea. So what other signs do I know? Maybe she's a Leo. I don't even know what Virgo is. Okay. I don't have any Virgos in my family. So.

I don't know, I don't know either. All right, how about Joe Biden?

Joe Biden, I know this, he is a Scorpio.

He is a

My coworker

just had a baby and she went early, but her original due date was on Joe Biden's birthday. And I only know that because we had Jill Biden actually come to our office to

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

phone banking with us. And she was asking her about the baby when she told her when the baby was due, she said, oh, did you know that's Joe's birthday? That's the only reason why I know that.

huh.

That's awesome. There you go.

So Scorpios,

I don't know much about them. I know they're after me, so, because I'm a Libra and they're the sign after me, so.

Okay, got it, got it, got it.

All right, what about Joanna McClinton, the current Speaker of the State House of Representatives?

Joanna's birthday.

know this one. I think maybe she's September. Is she before me? No. She's a Leo.

Yeah, there you go. Do you know anything about Leos? Anything about their sign?

Now I'll know forever.

Yes,

we have a lot of Leos in my family. I don't know personality wise, but we have

my sons, a Leo, my sister's a Leo, both of her children are both Leo's. So we have it seems to be a popular month to be

the

But she is fierce. So. I mean, you're fierce,

Okay, yeah, I'm a Leo. I'm a Leo. I was born.

Yeah, there you go. I am quite fierce. And the last one is Malcolm

current State House rep and vice chair of the DNC.

Capricorn?

So that's why you all are in leadership. When is your birthday? Okay, so you're a July Leo. So you just made it.

July 23rd. That's my breath.

I just made it. Yeah, and wasn't there like a short period of time where they shifted all of the signs? Yeah, the back just went away. We just pretended like that. It was like a day and they're like, now we're just going back to the original ones. Yeah.

they tried to add the 13th symbol and people were like, we're not doing that.

You're also a committee person in Haverford, correct? All right. What does that role involve and how does it fit into the bigger picture of political organizing?

Yes.

I actually think this is really, really important for people to know in general, even if you don't care about my candidacy at all, like to really understand your committee structure. Because we have kind of just starting from the top, we have, you know, the DNC, which most people know the DNC, they watch the convention. And then under the DNC, you have all of the state groups. So we have the PA Dems. And then within the PA Dems, there is the voting body called State Committee.

and

under state committee, then you have your county democratic party. So I'm part of the Delaware County Dems. And then under your county party, you have the municipal party. So I am in the Haverford

And then even smaller than that, you have your wards. So I live in ward nine in Haverford. And I have, we have two ward leaders. And then we also have your precinct, which is the smallest. So I live in nine 2. So it's like a very specific ward and precinct that's under this like very large and

So it's important because a lot of people don't you know see that when you're getting a candidate on your ballot Most likely this person has been endorsed by the party It's not you know the mom down the street who just googled how do I run for office like there is this party structure that I didn't even realize existed before 21 So, you know same for County Council, you know, there are four great candidates running But you're not gonna see any of us who's not endorsed like everyone has agreed to drop so the people who really choose your

Right.

on the ballot for a countywide race is the county party. know, the people who choose for a Haverford race is the Haverford party and, you know, the general public doesn't really get to see. So it's just really important. Democratic meetings at the municipal levels are open to anyone who's a registered Democrat. So you could be a registered Democrat in Upper Derby and come to the Haverford Dems meeting. Obviously, you can be a registered Democrat in Haverford and come and you can go to other meetings to stay, you know, involved, join committee because that's really, you know, where a lot of the say is. And if

If

you want to see good candidates elected, we need people to come in. We need more young people, people who want to make the difference to be involved.

I really like how you explain the structure, you know, top down, And I really hope that people do start to get more engaged with the structure of democracy at the state level, because, and I don't buy into the whole, well, it's just so overwhelming, confusing. I let's just take football, for example. I know people who can list off every football team in America.

They know the starting lineups, the backups, the coaches, who the players are married to, statistics going back 50 years. And like, I have no desire to learn that stuff because it just doesn't interest me. But to say that people can't figure this stuff out, you know, on a micro level, I think it just means people need to be, you know, get more engaged. And this kind of stuff actually affects your life, right? Like the decisions that people make on a committee level.

determine what candidates are gonna vote for, that determine who's gonna have control and power over your life. So I know that probably to a lot of people hearing you list off that ladder might be intimidating, but I know that most people in the world, certainly most people in Pennsylvania can figure that out and understand the importance of that. So thank you for explaining.

Yeah, you know, saying we have in the union is all politics are local. So when you're talking about whether or not you can get a plastic or paper bag at the grocery store, like all politics are local and these things do affect your day to day life. So it's important to be involved and, you know, and then know.

right?

Right.

I have two more questions for you. Okay, so we've covered a lot today but I want to end on a hopeful note. So with everything going on in the world, what gives you hope?

Okay.

These kids, you know, I actually made a post about this on Facebook like they are So kind and they are you know The generation that's gonna replace us and they are the generation that's gonna leave the world a better place and they found it and while The adults are fighting like these these kids are so resilient and they are they're gonna they're gonna be there for each other They're open. They're accepting. They're friendly. They're you know

respectful of people's differences. And it's just nice to know that, know, when the, like I said, when the adults move out of the way, you know, the world's gonna be left. I don't know what's gonna be left of the world, but the world's gonna be left in the better hands of, you know, these children who just really have grown up in a very caring, despite what's going on, like a very caring environment.

And finally, what plans do you have to get yourself through these next few years?

So a lot of self-care, probably a lot of cuddling with kittens. Like I said, it's hard because I think the last 20 days have felt a lot after how it felt for me for George Floyd, where it's like a 24-hour media cycle. Everyone's posting about it on Facebook. Everyone's talking about it at work. So there is no escaping it. And I think we're very much in that cyclone. So just...

getting off the grid, we take a trip every year to Maine and just turning off the cellular and just, you know, sitting in the front of the cabin and staring at the lake and just really being able to decompress. And that's why I told you before, like I like to watch TV because sometimes you just really need to kind of silence everything that's going on outside and refocus yourself. also, you know, I said, love my job a lot, but I really do. And just being able to help people and have those small

wins throughout the way to feel like you're making a difference on a daily basis is that's what that's what keeps me going.

Well, thank you so much for coming on the show. really appreciate it. What can people do to support your campaign?

They can donate my website to monetreilly.com So if you know your local committee person and you want to have good candidates on your ballot, you can go to your local committee person. can email the DELCO with Dems and ask them who they are and say, hey, I heard about this candidate. I really like what she stands for. And I ask that you consider her for your endorsement vote So endorsements February 22nd.

February 22nd just right around the corner.

right around the corner.

Well, thanks again, Monet. I really appreciate everything that you do for your community I really appreciate you taking the time to be on the show. Thank you.

Thank you, Zeke. Thank

you for having me. And everyone, please reach out. I support some really great organizations that could always use your help and always use more participants. So again, I'm always here to help or have a chat if anyone wants to.

Yes, we do.

Absolutely.

Well thank you for joining me here on the Zekely podcast. Stay hopeful and get involved and until next time, let's keep building a stronger Pennsylvania together.