As a candidate for Conway City Council, her campaign platform is strong, impactful, and most importantly, something that the community can rally behind. Take for example, her latest endeavor, Conway’s Mayor Monarch Project.
The project is simple but ingenious: a large mural of Monarch butterflies painted by local artist Tommy Simpson where residents and visitors can take family photos of themselves with large, bright colorful orange and black iconic wings. The idea behind the project was to bring more visitors to Conway, which would, in turn, support more nature-based tourism in Horry County, a large economic driver in the region.
And the numbers don’t lie. According to the National Park Service, nature-based tourism in Horry County generates over $350 million in economic impact each year, supporting over 5,000 jobs. O’Leary knew that by supporting more projects like the Mayor Monarch Project, she could help grow this already impressive statistic.
But the Mayor Monarch Project is not just a campaign promise. O’Leary has a long history of beautifying Horry County and participating in hundreds of cleanups. She served on Keep Horry County Beautiful for years, helping to remove over 20 tons of trash from Conway. She even helped remove flood debris and abandoned boats from the Waccamaw River after historical flood events. O’Leary has also enhanced many of Horry’s local parks by planting trees, flowers, and has donated thousands of free trees and flowers to Conway residents.
Her passion for beautification is evident and it is not just about aesthetics. Research has shown that keeping a city beautiful benefits its residents and visitors in countless ways, from reducing crime to improving mental health and property values.
With the Mayor Monarch Project, O’Leary is showing that she not only cares about the economic success of Conway but also the well-being of its residents. And as the project has gained momentum, with the City appearance board approving its location at the Waccamaw Riverwalk Park, residents and visitors alike will be flocking to take photos with the bright, colorful wings, and they’ll share these photos of themselves in Conway. It is clear O’Leary is onto something.
As election day approaches, O’Leary’s campaign is gaining more and more support. Last weekend she hosted an event at the Waccamaw Riverwalk Park where she invited Conway residents to spread kindness by painting messages like “Keep up the great work because you are awesome” on river rocks, which were left in the park for visitors to find.
Conway seems ready to elect a strong leader who will continue supporting projects like the Mayor Monarch Project and further strengthen Conway for years to come.
O’Leary has another Kindness Rocks event scheduled in June and you can visit her website to learn more. https://www.aprilconwaycitycouncil.com/my-blog
