Seven Currently Serving Mass. Mayors Celebrate Woman’s History Month at UMass Boston
On March 11th UMass Boston held an event highlighting the surge in women serving as mayors across Massachusetts. Women now comprise 25% of all mayors of cities in the commonwealth. The event “Women Mayors of Massachusetts: Making History. Meeting Challenge.” featured a panel discussion of 7 of the current 11 female mayors and was moderated by NECN’s Alison King.
The event was hosted by the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy (CWPPP) in celebration of International Woman’s Day, Woman’s History Month and CWPPP’s 25th Woman’s Research Forum. CWPPP is the premier center committed to advancing women's participation in the public life of Massachusetts, the New England region, and the nation. Participants included Salem Mayor Kimberley Driscoll, Northampton Mayor Clare Higgins, Weymouth Mayor Susan M. Kay, Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk, Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy, Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons and Marlborough Mayor Nancy Stevens
“It is such an exciting moment in the history of the university to have so many women dedicated to public service come together at UMass Boston,” said Chancellor J. Keith Motley. “Each one of these women is an accomplished leader and we are honored to have their participation in the research forum.”
“At a time when there is so much focus on gender and race in the presidential campaign, it’s important to remember Tip O’Neill’s famous quote: ‘All politics is local,’” said Carol Hardy-Fanta, director of CWPPP. “In Massachusetts today, one in four mayors is a woman – and, for the first time, we have an African American woman and an Asian American woman serving at the highest level of municipal government.”
The panelists discussed the importance of women’s public service at the local level and were inspirational to the audience of 200 who attended the event. Research suggesting that women in municipal decision-making positions can increase the delivery of services to more women and families, engage in more collaborative ways of working, and encourage more women to run for office, was revealed at the event.
The Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy released a fact sheet at the event showing that while women make up more than half (52%) of the population of Massachusetts, they still comprise only one-fifth of those serving on elected governing bodies (i.e. city/town councils or boards of selectmen/aldermen). The current rate of women’s representation at the local level (20.6%) demonstrates a slight increase from 2005 when women comprised 19.6% of local officials
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About the University of Massachusetts Boston
UMass Boston prides itself on academic excellence, diversity, and its commitment to serving students and the greater Boston community. Through its seven colleges—Liberal Arts, Science and Mathematics, Management, Nursing and Health Sciences, Public and Community Service, the Graduate College of Education, and the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies—UMass Boston offers undergraduate and graduate study in more than 150 fields. More information about UMass Boston can be found at: www.umb.edu.