[Vision2020] Moscow’s all-women council set to lead

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of today’s Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

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Moscow’s all-women council set to lead
Group’s makeup, perhaps ‘atypical’ in Idaho, is driven by platform, not gender
It appears Moscow voters made history Nov. 2 by electing Julia Parker, Hailey Lewis and Gina Taruscio to the Moscow City Council.

For what is likely the first time ever, all of the Moscow City Council seats will be filled by women come January.

Current City Councilman Art Bettge will replace Bill Lambert as mayor thanks to his Nov. 2 election win. That means Parker and Lewis will join incumbents Taruscio, Sandra Kelly, Maureen Laflin and Anne Zabala on the council. Brandy Sullivan chose not to run for reelection this year.

City Clerk Laurie Hopkins provided the Daily News a list of Moscow City Council members for each year dating back to 1901. It should be noted that years 1904-09 were left blank, and several years in the early half of the 20th century only included initials or last names.

City representatives and a former Moscow mayor who were contacted by the Daily News also believe 2022 will be the first time residents are represented by six women.

Sullivan said that this indicates something “atypical” about Moscow.

“The first step in increasing representation by women elected to office is for women to run for office, and there have been significantly more women running for office locally over the past few election cycles than in years past.” she wrote. “Perhaps Moscow is unique at this time in that there has been increased encouragement and support for women in roles of leadership.”

Sullivan wrote that Moscow voters are engaged, and make their decisions based on the candidates’ platforms, regardless of gender.

“This election, the winners’ campaign priorities clearly resonated with the majority of voters, and it just so happens that all three of them are women.” she wrote. “Interestingly, the two prior elections also saw three women win in the City Council race, so this election marks the third in a row with women winning all three seats.”

Bettge said being a good political candidate means being civic-minded, informed and willing to make Moscow a better place. Those qualities are not linked to gender, he said.

“That being said, there are many parts of the state where the citizens would not see things this way,” he wrote. “It is a unique trait of Moscow voters that they recognize the quality of the candidates who are voted into office. Perhaps Moscow citizens are a little bit ahead of the rest of the state in not conflating the ability to govern productively with gender.”

Parker said it is a sign of progress for women in leadership roles, and said residents can look forward to a group of councilors who will work as a team to put the community’s best interests first.

Lewis said she is excited to be part of the council, though an all-women council should not have to be newsworthy. If nothing else, Lewis said, she hopes it inspires other women to run for public office as they tend to bring a different perspective to problems and policies.

Former Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney said that to her knowledge, this will be the first all-female council. Chaney said that as mayor she spoke at women’s leadership conferences at the University of Idaho and Washington State University where it “became obvious that girls and women benefit from having role models who look like us.”

Chaney pointed out that from 2008-09, she presided over a council that was all-male, and this garnered little attention.

Still, Chaney said progress is better measured by what the council members accomplish, more than the fact they are all women.

“Political ideology of the incoming council is diverse,” she said. “That matters more than gender if the objective is to have wide-ranging ideas that are representative of a community that values diversity.”

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“I am Woman” by Helen Reddy
 http://www.tomandrodna.com/I_am_Woman.mp3
 
(Crank it up and sing along)
 
I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back an' pretend
'Cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever gonna keep me down again
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
You can bend but never break me
'Cause it only serves to make me
More determined to achieve my final goal
And I come back even stronger
Not a novice any longer
'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
I am woman watch me grow
See me standing toe to toe
As I spread my lovin' arms across the land
But I'm still an embryo
With a long long way to go
Until I make my brother understand
Oh yes I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to I can face anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
Oh, I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman
I am invincible
I am strong
I am woman

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Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.MoscowCares.net

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

“A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met.”
- Roy E. Stolworthy
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