Candidate for
Council Member; City of Temecula

Maryann Place (Edwards) was born in the tiny farming town of Cameron, Missouri and was driving a tractor before she was 10. Raised on the Midwest work ethic, and the importance of faith and family, those values are reflected in a life of community service. While attending the University of Nevada at Reno on a full scholarship, Maryann took a summer job with a small engineering firm where she met Tom Edwards, a young engineer. They were married 18 months later in 1976 and moved to Orange County where Tom had enrolled in law school.

In 1988, Maryann Edwards moved to Temecula with husband Tom and their three small children, Jonathan, and twin daughters, Casey and Corrie. She became a full time volunteer in her children's classrooms and with several non profit organizations in town. Twenty-Two years later, Maryann has served the residents of Temecula and Riverside County on more than 30 non-profit boards of directors serving children, victims of domestic violence, and on issues in public education and public safety.

In 1997 Maryann was appointed Commissioner to the Temecula Public Traffic/Safety Commission and in 2000 she successfully ran for a seat on the Temecula School Board where she served for four years. In 2005, Maryann was appointed to the Temecula City Council to fill a seat vacated by newly elected Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone. She was re-elected to her city council seat in 2006 and served as Temecula's Mayor in 2009.

In addition to her considerable volunteer service and elected service, Maryann has worked for the past 30 years as a recording artist, vocalist, and performer at venues throughout Southern California including Disneyland, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Maryann is motivated by the satisfaction of helping others and by seeing the results of her efforts in the form of a safer, cleaner, and better city. "Being part of a team that is working toward a common goal is the best feeling, and I encourage everyone to give some time to help others and to help their community."