People often say that in a small town, there is no such thing as a secret.

There is a group in Fountain Hills that defies that assumption.

A group of Democratic women, who call themselves The Liberal Ladies, have been meeting in the community for five years. What started with a group of seven women in a living room has grown to 299 members who meet elsewhere in Fountain Hills.

Cynthia Penrose Magazine, who does publicity for the group and who is a charter member of the organization, said they’ve been keeping their meetings low key and out of the limelight.

“We started the group to allow like-minded women to just get together and talk about being a Democrat in a town where Republicans are dominant,” Magazine said.

“We got together to talk about our views.”

Magazine said the primary key to the success of the group is “simplicity.”

“We have one meeting a month, we developed an email list, we don’t have a website, and we don’t have dues.”

The group has grown by word of mouth.

“Early in our development, we started growing by having each member bring one or two friends to a meeting,” Magazine said.

“It’s like a tree with branches.”

The Liberal Ladies has been an “underground” group, choosing to stay quiet about its existence. Members have agreed to “go public,” but they want to remain low key.

A recent meeting featured Arizona Republic columnist Linda Valdez and former Olympic ice skater Michelle Kwan.

“We have had some great speakers,” Magazine said.

“It was especially nice for our most recent meeting because we also were celebrating our fifth anniversary.”

Magazine said there was some media coverage as a result of Kwan’s visit. She was there to campaign for Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton.

“A combination of things led us to decide to be a little more public,” she said.

The most immediate goal for the group is to raise money to help pay for the Franklin D. Roosevelt statue to be placed at “Fount Rushmore” in Fountain Park.

“Fount Rushmore” is located at the southwest part of Fountain Park. It features statues of presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.

“The other presidents there are theoretically Republicans,” Magazine said.

“We want to be a part of the first Democratic president to be represented in that collection.”

Magazine and Ann Lindstrom co-founded the group. Lindstrom stepped down from the group when she moved from Fountain Hills. Carol Comito is Lindstrom’s successor.

Women interested in attending a meeting should email libladies@gmail.com. Members meet the first Wednesday of each month from 3 to 5 p.m.