The counsel of women

MedBow guided by woman council and mayor

Wyoming is known as the Equality State as it was the first in the United States to give women the right to vote.

There may have been some self-serving reasons by men in power during that time but, from that time in 1870 when women voted in Wyoming, the United States went on the track of equality. The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920 and all women could vote in the country.

On March 22, 1972, the Equal Rights Amendment was passed by the U.S. Senate and sent to the states for ratification. First proposed by the National Woman's political party in 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment was to provide for the legal equality of the sexes and prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex.

The government of Medicine Bow is proof women have come some distance. The entire town council and the mayor are women.

This happened when Dawndee Yocom joined the council in April. Lucy Schofield, Sharon Kahl and Cindy Chace were already on the council and Mayor Sharon Biamon had been re-elected.

The state of Wyoming has 99 municipalities and, according to the Wyoming Association of Municipalities (WAM), there are 15 towns with council that are entirely men, but it seems Medicine Bow is the only town to have all women. Data on the WAM website was last updated in 2020.

"I think it is great," Kahl said. "Women are more logical most of the time."

"Ever hear that saying that women are smarter than men?" Chace laughed.

"Men or women, it doesn't matter," Biamon said. "We are people."

Biamon did acknowledge sometimes there are men who try to bully their way around the town because they feel it is the weaker sex they are dealing with.

"It doesn't happen often, but I nicely let them know I am the boss, female or not," Biamon said. "The job requires a strong hand and mind and it doesn't matter what sex you are. The work of mayor doesn't care if you are male or female. The work just has to get done."

The women on this board do recognize an all-female council sends a message to younger women and girls that their opinions matter in government.

"It wasn't that long ago that women would not have even thought about running for council or mayor," Biamon said. "It was considered a man's position."

"I am sure there are still some men out there that still have that way of thinking," Kahl said. "They have the old way of thinking that women don't and shouldn't want these types of positions. There are probably some women that think this too."

The women on the council are all in agreement that they ran for council because they cared for the families of the town and that is a major focus when deciding what is best for the town.

"We center on the family," Kahl said. "We do things for the town that keep in mind how it will help the families of the town. I don't think it is necessarily a female thing being this way, but we don't have our focus easily diverted away because women are nurturing."

Biamon believes that gender should not hinder a person's goals.

"Anybody can accomplish anything, if that is really what they want to do," Biamon said. "It shouldn't matter if you are female or male."

Biamon feels women before them who broke ground for equal rights and positions in government are to be admired because these women gave the foundation that exists today for a town government to be all female.

"I was brought up that I was equal," Chace said. "I never felt men in general were superior or inferior. Just equal."

"I am in awe that this happened," Yocom said. "This board has a lot of powerful women that get things done. I'm so glad to be a part of it, because this a good team."

Kahl believes a lot will get accomplished in the time to come.

"Ordinances are starting to get enforced because we now have law enforcement," Biamon said. "Streets will be upgraded and we now have equipment to maintain them."

"I think we have gotten a lot done," Kahl said. "I believe we are going in the right direction."

The ladies think the workshops that they have contribute to getting things done.

"We don't always agree but these meetings give us a chance to listen to each other and work things out," Kahl said. "We have respect for each other and what every person's opinion."

Schofield agreed that there is respect for each other.

"We do have differences of opinion, but most females when their mind is set on accomplishing a goal, we get it done," Schofield said. "We don't argue, we discuss."

All the ladies, with the exception of Yocom, had been on the council in prior years.

"I remember when I was the only female on the Council," Schofield said. "Men can have a tendency to take criticism more personally versus women. I don't want to generalize, but we as a council have gotten a lot of things done because, deep down, women have a lot of power and strength internally which helps work for the community."

The council and mayor of Medicine Bow are happy to work together to make the town a better place. They all agreed, being a woman is secondary to being an individual who cares for the people of their community.

"The most important thing for a town, is to be run by people who care for it," Biamon said. "The fact in this instance, it is all women with that focus is neat, but the real story; that as individuals, all of us are strong proponents for helping our town any way we can."

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 
Rendered 03/27/2024 13:09