ShapTalk: Guest Commentary
By Michael M. Shapiro
Fifty years ago, women would typically vote for the candidates their
husbands voted for or would not vote at all. Times have thankfully
changed and women now have a significant role in campaigns and
elections. Whether it be the "soccer moms" of the 90s or the "security
moms" post-9/11, the role of women in politics has taken on greater
importance, especially in the last decade. As a significant voting
block, women have become critical to the election hopes of any
politician. However, the number of women serving in elected office
continues to be dwarfed by the number of men who serve. In New Jersey,
on the Republican side of the aisle, something is being done to address
this problem: the Christine Todd Whitman Excellence in Public Service
Series. Unfortunately, the Democratic Party currently has no comparable
program.
Founded in 1998, the Christine Todd Whitman Excellence in Public Service Series, a non-profit corporation, aims to increase the number of women serving at all levels of government: local, county, state and federal. Sixteen women are selected each year to participate and any Republican women can apply. Once selected, the women are provided in-depth leadership training in both governing and campaigning through a nine-month educational experience that includes readings, panel presentations, workshops, and homework assignments. They are also mentored by current women serving in public office. The program includes meeting with Republican elected officials in New Jersey, as well as a trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with federal officials.
While Republicans in New Jersey have created this important and positive training program for Republican women, there is no such program on the Democratic side of the aisle. As a result, there is a paucity of Democratic women who are adequately prepared to campaign and govern. Given that New Jersey is a Democratic state, it leaves one to wonder why there are so few Democratic women serving in elected office. The answer may lie in the lack of a program to encourage them to seek public office and to train them to run and serve.
Since its founding in 1998, over 100 women located in every county in New Jersey have been trained through the series. Many of these women have gone on to hold elected or appointed positions in local, county, state and federal government. The Republican leadership in New Jersey deserves commendation for instituting the Whitman Series. The Democratic leadership would be wise to create a comparable program so that Democratic women throughout the state have the same opportunities to learn about government and campaigns and be trained to serve in elected office as their Republican counterparts. It would be in the best interest of New Jersey to have women in both political parties trained in leadership in government.
Michael M. Shapiro is an attorney who resides in New Providence. An archive of his columns can be found at ShapTalk.com.
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