Power Spreads Out

by SHEILA LESLIE Power spreads out Congratulations, Nevada! Our state made witness to tears, such as lack of health care, morally fine and mentally frivolous to be Mo Denis as Senate Democratic leader and national news last week when we became autistic children who can’t get services and responsible voters.” There are probably still president pro tem. the first majority female state legislature in issues associated with the sheer poverty some Nevada men who feel that way. Women no longer will be expected to the country. It happened when Clark County derived from trying to raise a family on a Washoe County’s women were quick to feel grateful for an opportunity to lead, Commissioners filled two vacancies in the minimum wage. jump into the political arena once they were opportunities men have long taken for Assembly with women. Although the state A majority means leaving tokenism allowed into the ring. Jean Dwyer was the granted. Many female legislators paved the Senate still has a female minority, with nine behind. Women will be freed from the first woman to run for the state Legislature way to the majority and as we celebrate women and 12 men in office, there are now burden of representing their gender and be in 1916. She came in last in a field of 22 this milestone, they should be recognized, 23 women and just 19 men in the Assembly, known for policy positions rather than being candidates. In 1918, another woman from especially since many didn’t live to see a thus producing an overall female majority in the lone woman on the committee. It has Washoe County, Sadie Dotson Hurst, day that should have come long ago. the Legislature as a whole. always been vital to have a seat at the table was the first woman to be elected to the Remember the courage and grace Why does it matter? but a majority guarantees the agenda will Legislature. But it wasn’t until 1994 that an shown by Mary Gojack, Nancy Gomes, Women tend to see public policy increasingly reflect a woman’s priorities. African American woman was elected to the Jan Evans, Jean Ford, Vivian Freeman, issues differently, as more of a puzzle to It has been a long struggle to arrive at state Senate when Bernice Martin Mathews Peggy Pierce, Marcia deBraga, Myrna be solved than as a game to be won. They this moment. According to an excellent ran and won. Williams and Debbie Smith. And celebrate are more empathetic and collaborative, background paper written by Dana Bennett Nevada’s Legislature is increasingly the enduring or ongoingongoing leadership viewing consensus-building and compro- when she worked for the Legislative reflective of the state’s population, not by example from Sue Wagner, Lori Lipman mise as a goal. They are more apt to try Counsel Bureau, women were not allowed only in gender but also in racial and ethnic Brown, Chris Giunchigliani, Joan Lambert, persuasion instead of bullying others into to vote or serve in office when Nevada composition. African-Americans and Barbara Buckley, Dawn Gibbons, Diana doing their will. became a state in 1864. The battle over Hispanics are well represented, especially Glomb, Bonnie Parnell, Valerie Wiener and Women are usually more interested in suffrage lasted until 1914, six years before in leadership spots with African-American/ Dina Titus and innumerable others. issues affecting the average family, espe- the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Latino teams set to run the Assembly and It seems like it took forever to get here, cially those involving children. And they’re was ratified, giving all American women the Senate next year—Jason Frierson and but surely Nevada’s women can agree comfortable discussing the public policies the right to vote. In 1885, some assembly- Teresa Benitez-Thompson as speaker and we’re thrilled to have finally arrived. Ω packed with emotion that can lead a members argued that “women were both too Democratic leader and Kelvin Atkinson and 6 | RN&R | 12.27.18.

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