In our third Commissioner profile of 2021, we get to know Commissioner Maureen Crombie. Maureen brings years of community involvement experience to the Commission. She enjoys providing resources and educating others.
Maureen Crombie was appointed to the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission in 2016 after being nominated by Sun Prairie’s Mayor Paul Esser. She is part of the Executive team and was recently re-elected for another term. Maureen brings a unique perspective to the Commission having served on different boards and commissions such as the Plan Commission and Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Commission in Sun Prairie. Commissioner Crombie also serves as an Alder on the Sun Prairie City Council for District 3. Maureen loves learning and bringing information from other communities back to her community.
The Commission activities that interest Maureen most are land use, housing, transportation, and partnerships. She appreciates the respect shown between Commissioners and enjoys being able to network with other municipalities and boards. Commissioner Crombie would like to see improvements in the bike network in her community and appreciates the Commission’s interactions with the Greater Madison MPO.
Commissioner Crombie is originally from Columbus, WI. She graduated from Madison College with a degree in Marketing and Liberal Studies before going on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Education and Psychology at Edgewood College. Commissioner Crombie has since worked as a teacher, a Senior Employee Relations Specialist at Wisconsin Physicians Service, and an Administrative Specialist at Sun Prairie YMCA. She has now resided in Sun Prairie for around 28 years. She appreciates Sun Prairie being such a resilient and generous community despite how fast-growing it is. Maureen currently works at Colonial View Apartments, a HUD-subsidized independent living community for people 62 and older, as their Service Coordinator.
Commissioner Trivia: Commissioner Crombie played basketball her freshman year of college and has coached basketball at Edgewood Elementary School, St. James Catholic School, and the YMCA.
Commissioner Crombie has always been very active in the communities she has lived in. When she lived in Madison, she volunteered with the Circle K Club and the Community Action Coalition. She is currently a member of many Sun Prairie community organizations including the Sunshine Supper committee, the Westside Community School Site Leadership team, the Sun Prairie Optimist Club, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Neighborhood Navigators.
Her favorite public service memory relates to the partnership between Sun Prairie, Madison, and Metro Transit to add an Express Commuter Bus Service between Sun Prairie and the Capitol Square and a park-and-ride in Sun Prairie. This process involved putting together neighborhood meetings and serves to connect people between the two communities. Commissioner Crombie sees this as just the beginning for improving the public transportation network in Sun Prairie.
Commissioner Trivia: In middle school, Maureen put together a Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Back Yard Carnival and held it at her family’s dairy farm. Around 200 kids attended! There was a pony ring, carnival games, a cake walk, slushies, cotton candy, and hotdogs.
Commissioner Crombie has a daughter and a son. In her free time, she enjoys going to Badger hockey and basketball games and visiting different stadiums for away Packers games with her daughter. She also enjoys hiking, biking, and visiting waterfalls. Maureen picked up pickleball during the pandemic and continues to play with her partner, Larry.
