Emerge Oregon Women Run in November

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Kathryn Firestone
June 3, 2010 503-922-2177

Democratic Women Jump into Political Races
Emerge Oregon women cite training in expanding skills and confidence

PORTLAND, OR –

29 %

That’s the percentage of women serving in the Oregon Legislature; a mere twenty-six of ninety members.

Why aren’t more women serving in public office? One Oregon non-profit believes it's because women, more so than men, need to be invited to run, and to feel confident that they have the skills they'll need before committing to a campaign. That’s where Emerge Oregon steps in.

“Our goal is to increase the number of democratic women running and winning campaigns,” according to Emerge Oregon Executive Director Kathryn Firestone. “Now in our second year, we select Oregon women from all ages and backgrounds to complete the comprehensive training program designed to inspire, educate and prepare them to run competitively for public office.”

With two months remaining in the 2010 program year, Emerge Oregon is producing results. Six Emerge Oregon women will appear on the November ballot. 2009 alumnae Clackamas County Commissioner Ann Lininger, appointed to the seat in early 2009, and State Representative Val Hoyle (D-Eugene), appointed last fall, will both run contested races to retain their current offices. Sandy Webb is running against the incumbent in House District 26. 2010 program members Donna Maddux and Jodie Barram will be on the ballot in November as well to retain their seats on the Tualatin City Council and the Bend City Council, respectively. Gresham City Councilor, Shirley Craddick, a member of this year’s class, earned her place in a run-off for Metro Council with a 25 point lead over the nearest opponent – an opponent who outspent her 2 to 1. Shirley credits Emerge with honing her skills in just 4 months; “I’m so appreciative of what I’ve learned in the program, Emerge has brought tools and techniques to my attention that I might not otherwise have known about. And the support and encouragement from my emerge sisters has been enormous.” Finally, Emerge Oregon Board Member Lynn Howe is running a highly competitive race for State Representative in House District 6 in Medford.

In addition to those who currently hold public office, the widely diverse 2010 cohort represents Oregon’s broad geography from North Bend to Pendleton and Portland to Bend. And true to our further commitment to diversity, nearly a third of the class members are women of color and they range in age from their 20s to their 60s. They bring talent and expertise from a variety of careers and backgrounds -- health and welfare, science, law, education (k-college), environment and entrepreneurship. They are interested in all levels of government service and we believe they have much to contribute.

Several program members also hold other positions of responsibility across the state, including Dr. Huma Pierce (‘09) Oregon Chiropractic Board of Commissioners, Sunny Petit (‘09) Commission for Women, and 2010 program member Samaura Stone was just appointed to the Oregon Commission for Black Affairs. Jennifer Geller (‘10) serves on the Eugene School Board, Deb Barnes (‘09) on Milwaukie City Council. Rose Wilde (09) serves the Lane County Budget Committee, Sheri Moore (‘10) the Springfield Planning Commission and Consuelo Saragoza (‘10) on the Tri-Met Board of Directors. Emerge Oregon Board President Elisa Dozono notes “we know that others are planning for their future public service as well. We expect to see campaigns for state senate, another metro councilor, and state house within the next few years.”
Eighty-fourth in the world: that's where the United States ranks for women in elected office, behind Mexico, China and Pakistan. In fact, women make up just 17% of the U.S. Congress. This means that a pool of highly qualified Democratic candidates is being left untapped. Too often, women do not see themselves running for office - they don't think they are experienced enough or they just don't know where to start.
Emerge Oregon is changing that dynamic by providing training, resources, and a strong network of supporters for these capable women. Our goal is to “build the bench” of women ready, willing and able to run for future public office. Recruitment is now underway for the class of 2011. For more information, visit www.emergeoregon.org.
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