<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div dir="ltr">Courtesy of today’s Moscow-Pullman Daily News.<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><br></div><div>—————————————————</div><div><span style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 42px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;">Moscow’s all-women council set to lead</span></div><div><h2 itemprop="alternativeHeadline" class="subhead" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.1; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin: 10px 100px 10px 0px; font-size: 24px; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Group’s makeup, perhaps ‘atypical’ in Idaho, is driven by platform, not gender</span></h2></div><div><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">It appears Moscow voters made history Nov. 2 by electing Julia Parker, Hailey Lewis and Gina Taruscio to the Moscow City Council.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">For what is likely the first time ever, all of the Moscow City Council seats will be filled by women come January.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">Sullivan said that this indicates something “atypical” about Moscow.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">“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.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">Sullivan wrote that Moscow voters are engaged, and make their decisions based on the candidates’ platforms, regardless of gender.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">“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.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">“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.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">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.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">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.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">Chaney pointed out that from 2008-09, she presided over a council that was all-male, and this garnered little attention.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">Still, Chaney said progress is better measured by what the council members accomplish, more than the fact they are all women.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0.25in; font-size: medium; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; line-height: 20.25pt; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(68, 68, 68);">“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.”</span></p></div><div>————————————————-</div><div><br></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“I am Woman” by Helen Reddy</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.tomandrodna.com/I_am_Woman.mp3"><span style="color: blue;"> http://www.tomandrodna.com/I_am_Woman.mp3</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(<u>Crank it up and sing along</u>)</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">I am woman, hear me roar<br>In numbers too big to ignore<br>And I know too much to go back an' pretend<br>'Cause I've heard it all before<br>And I've been down there on the floor<br>No one's ever gonna keep me down again<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">Oh yes I am wise<br>But it's wisdom born of pain<br>Yes, I've paid the price<br>But look how much I gained<br>If I have to, I can do anything<br>I am strong (strong)<br>I am invincible (invincible)<br>I am woman<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">You can bend but never break me<br>'Cause it only serves to make me<br>More determined to achieve my final goal<br>And I come back even stronger<br>Not a novice any longer<br>'Cause you've deepened the conviction in my soul<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">Oh yes I am wise<br>But it's wisdom born of pain<br>Yes, I've paid the price<br>But look how much I gained<br>If I have to, I can do anything<br>I am strong (strong)<br>I am invincible (invincible)<br>I am woman<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">I am woman watch me grow<br>See me standing toe to toe<br>As I spread my lovin' arms across the land<br>But I'm still an embryo<br>With a long long way to go<br>Until I make my brother understand<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">Oh yes I am wise<br>But it's wisdom born of pain<br>Yes, I've paid the price<br>But look how much I gained<br>If I have to I can face anything<br>I am strong (strong)<br>I am invincible (invincible)<br>I am woman<br>Oh, I am woman<br>I am invincible<br>I am strong<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">I am woman<br>I am invincible<br>I am strong<br>I am woman<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><br></div><div>————————————————-<br><br><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">http://www.MoscowCares.net</span></div><div><br></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div><br></div><div>“A stranger is just a friend you haven’t met.”</div><div>- Roy E. Stolworthy</div><div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>