Emerge Oregon

By Erica Heartquist

With all the election talk, did you know Monday marks an important anniversary in Oregon?

One hundred years ago on November 5, 1912 Oregon became the seventh state in the union to give women the right to vote.

Since then, Oregon voters have elected female governor, Barbara Roberts.

Oregon women have served as judges. They've gone to the United States House and the United States Senate. They havebeen elected mayor. Oregon women have climbed Mount Everest and they have orbited the earth.

Portland Fire Commissioner Randy Leonard had glowing words as he introduced Erin Janssens, the woman he chose as Portland's first female chief, from behind a lectern set up outside City Hall on Tuesday.  

"Erin represented to me a role model," Leonard said, "and not just for women, but for anybody who wants to be a firefighter."  

SALEM -- A voter tells a Democratic candidate that "women with children shouldn't be running for office." A newspaper editorial describes a Republican as a "bright-eyed mother" but doesn't mention her master's degree or that she runs a business. A constituent advises a state lawmaker to "invest in a good pair of heels." 

Flashbacks to the 1970s? 

Nope. All of it happened last year to women seeking a place in Oregon's political world.