Local female politicians give advice to students

Women are still underrepresented in all forms of government, and local female politicians said they hope to make progress toward changing that.

College Democrats at IU organized a panel Wednesday night to encourage capable women to participate in politics.

“We wanted to highlight women in Bloomington in politics,” College Democrats president Aaron Dy said. “We’re fortunate enough to have several here, and we wanted to expose them because a lot of places don’t have many and it’s a shame.”

The discussion was led by IU law professor and former acting Assistant Attorney General Dawn Johnson, Bloomington City Clerk Regina Moore and Bloomington City Councilor Susan Sandberg.

The three women shared stories of their experiences in local, regional and national politics.

When Sandberg first ran for City Council, no women were currently serving, Moore said. 

“She had to win,” Moore said.

Sandberg was elected in 2007 and currently serves as one of two women on the Bloomington City Council.

Moore said she as a woman is underrepresented on the council since women make up 51 percent of the population.

State-level women only hold eight out of 50 seats in the state Senate and 23 percent of seats in the state House, Moore said.

“Locally we’re a bit better but still only two out of nine,” Moore said. “That’s no where near 51 percent.”

These statistics led Moore to start the Democratic Women’s Caucus with a motto to “support, fund, train and inspire women.”

The group aims to encourage qualified, strong women to step up, Sandberg said.
“We don’t just want any woman, but we see a lack in powerful women getting involved,” Sandberg said.

Sandberg said she feels some women do not feel capable or good enough to be politically involved.

“Women wait to be asked,” Sandberg said. “They don’t feel qualified or knowledgeable enough, or they have too much as a mom, but they can do it.”

This leads to little participation.

“Indiana currently has the most women it has ever had in Congress in its history,” Moore said.

But she said the state has a long way to go. Indiana has never had a female senator.
All three women at the panel said they want to ensure there will be elected officials protecting women’s rights.

Johnson worked with former President Bill Clinton to help him prepare policies supporting women’s issues and pro-choice legislation.

“The most exciting work I’ve ever done was when Bill Clinton issued five policies to overturn Bush’s anti-choice policies, and I worked on those,” Johnson said.

Senior Lindsey Smith, College Democrats marketing director, helped plan and advertise the event.

“We had been working on this for a while, so we were really excited to have this happen,” Smith said.

Smith said she was satisfied with the event and found it inspiring.

“Hearing the statistics regarding how very few women there are in public office was shocking,” Smith said. “It was good hearing women in public office inspiring other women to run.”

The panel provided advice for women about stepping out into the political sphere.
“Get involved at whatever level you feel comfortable at,” Sandberg said. “Start working on a committee or help someone on a campaign until you gain experience.”

Sandberg said she hopes society continues to acknowledge the importance of gender equality in politics.

“I believe in equality for women, and I want my 26-year-old daughter to have those rights,” Sandberg said.

“We want Roe v. Wade to be upheld. People marched and women died for this, and people forget that.”

Follow reporter Suzanne Grossman on Twitter @suzannepaige6.