Bloomington woman defies boundaries

Charlotte Zietlow has been very active in the Bloomington government and community for the past 30 years, and she has been a pioneer among women in Indiana. She was one of the first female entrepreneurs in the area. She was also the city's first female member -- and eventually president -- of city council, as well as the first female and president of the city commission. \nBut after all of these accomplishments, she's most proud of her "wonderful family." She has two children -- a daughter who teaches law at the University of Toledo, and a son who is a lawyer.\n"I feel so fortunate to be able to do something to work and help people," she said. "And although I don't claim credit for anything I've done, I think I've been pretty good at listening to people and identifying important issues."\nShe said she also feels that by remembering "you never know," and "there isn't anything that doesn't count," she has been able to forge ahead as a woman in Indiana politics. \nIU Director of Women's Affairs Jean Robinson agrees.\n"She knows what's going on, and she's very strategic in getting things done that will improve people's lives," Robinson said.\nZietlow was born in Wisconsin, the daughter of a Lutheran minister. She went to school in St. Paul and Minneapolis, Minn., as well as in Europe for her undergraduate degrees in German and French literature, eventually receiving her doctorate from the University of Michigan in linguistics. She said although she only taught German for a few years, her background in linguistics was only the beginning of a very rewarding career in language and communication. \nAfter marrying and finishing her education, Zietlow and her family moved to the IU campus, where her husband became a professor. Zietlow also began to teach German but eventually left the post, frustrated that the university would offer her no more than an adjunct professorship to "keep things cheap." Then in 1969 and 1970, when her husband was given a Fulbright scholarship, she and her family moved to what was then Czechoslovakia for a year. They lived in what she described as a "very severe communist regime." \nShe learned that "democracy is a very fragile thing" that "must be taken ahold of by the people and protected." Her visit to Czechoslovakia is what inspired her to become involved in Bloomington government. \n"I came back from Czechoslovakia ready to be active politically," she said.\nThat trip was just the beginning. When Zietlow returned to the U.S., she immediately became involved in the political battles of the moment. In 1971, she said she was "basically handed a precinct to organize," and largely through her efforts, one of the only senators who opposed the Vietnam War (Vance Hartke) came into office. \nAfter that, she was encouraged to run for city council. She was nervous initially, thinking she did not know anything about city planning. But when she visited the entirely male city council and realized the men weren't particularly educated on the matter of city planning either, she decided to run. \n"I went to see what they did, and saw mainly a lot of sitting," she said. "And more importantly, they were ignoring the needs and issues of the people in the community, which went entirely against my idea of democracy." \nSo she ran, against the tide and against precedent, even suffering through the local newspaper referring to her by such gender insults as the "Ph.D. Housewife." She refused to bow down, however, and by 1971 she was the president of the city council. \nHer activism spurred a turnaround in the city council, bringing about one of the council's most effective periods. The council focused on the economic development of the community and created, among other things, the Human Rights Commission, the Environmental Commission and the Small Claims Court. It also took one of the first serious looks at child care and health care in the community.\nStill, Zietlow found herself surrounded by men who constantly questioned her ability to accomplish what needed to be done and doubted her capability to maintain a budget. So she and friend Marilyn Schultz, who ran for the legislature at that time, decided to start their own business to dispel the annoying rumors of their ineptitude at budgeting. They opened "Goods for Cooks" in downtown Bloomington and ran it for 15 years. \nZietlow ran for Congress in 1978 against John Meyers, losing but doing better against him than any candidate before her. She then ran for and won the position of county commissioner, becoming the first female to achieve that status in Monroe County. She held that position for eight years, seven of which she was the president. She remembers that time as being "very Republican" and that "the tide was strongly against us." \nFollowing her tendency, however, Zietlow persevered and was able to raise enough support to restore the courthouse, get the justice building built and restore the health building. She also did a great deal of work getting rid of PCBs and preventing a garbage and waste incinerator -- both of which were harmful to the community -- from coming here. It was a time she was very proud of, even though she won't take credit for her own success. \n"Nobody does anything by themselves," she said. \nSince then, Zietlow has directed the United Way for a two-year period, during which the campaign funding increased 40 percent. She has worked for Planned Parenthood (1990-95), and most recently she became the Economic Development Coordinator for Middle Way House. The Middle Way House is a project that helps domestically abused women learn the skills they need to be self-sufficient and independent in a competitive economy and then places them at jobs in their area -- including at two businesses Zietlow has started through Middle Way House specifically for this purpose. \nZietlow is also the Chair of the Priorities Committee for the state Office of Women's Health as well as the Chair of the Indiana Family Health Council, which receives the federal family planning money for the state of Indiana. \nZietlow said having a minister for a father ingrained certain values in her that she believes have helped her make a difference throughout her life.\n"I was really taught to do unto others as you would have them do unto you," she said.\nZietlow applied her values to her campaigns as well.\n"Always find the good in people…and to find the commonalities in (my opponent and I) so that we can build instead of destroy," she said.\nThis perspective has allowed Zietlow to truly be effective in the community because she is known for being not only persistent and determined in her cause but effervescent and inviting as well. \nJust ask Carol McCord, assistant dean of the Office of Women's Affairs. \n"So many people seem angry when they present a cause, like they have an agenda that you have to understand," McCord said. "But you have to join people where they are and bring them along to you.\n"And that is where Charlotte is brilliant. She's wonderful at finding a human connection to get people involved in her cause"