The women mayors caucus convened on Thursday, June 10 from 2:00-5:00 p.m. The primary objective of this group is to develop more leadership and involvement by female mayors within the organization. The caucus, chaired by Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins has focused primarily on youth and family issues, such as Youth Violence Prevention through Conflict Mediation and Education and Family Violence Prevention over the last two years.

The caucus voted Cedar Rapids Mayor Lee R. Clancey as its new Chair. Mayor Clancey will contact women mayor members soon to ascertain primary focus areas of importance to address during her two-year tenure. The group shared informal dialogue on several areas of interest including the production and provision of safe, affordable housing, product safety - particularly related to gun violence, regionalism and commercial centers, and the increased provision of early learning, all-day kindergarten for children.

FINAL REMARKS BY PALATINE MAYOR RITA MULLINS TO WOMEN MAYORS CAUCUS

While women still have much to achieve, they are certainly making great strides in American politics. In 1999, 65 women serve in the U.S. Congress. A record nine women serve in the Senate and 56 women serve in the House - also an all time high. After all, "a women’s place is in the House - and the Senate." The number of women in statewide elective executive posts is 89, another all time high, while the proportion of women in state legislature is at 22%.

Of the 975 mayors of U.S. cities with populations over 30,000, 202 or 20 % are women. We have "taxation without representation - when 52% of the population is represented by approximately 20% of the elective offices. Our immediate Past President, Salt Lake City Mayor Deedee Corradini is the third women president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors within the 65 year history of the organization.

Why should we care whether women have parity with men in holding public office? One good reason is that the under-representation of women among our public leaders symbolizes the failure of American society to provide equality of opportunity for all its citizens. Another is that the under representation of women means that half of the nation’s talent remains largely untapped - a waste in any era, and particularly costly today, when rapid change and complex, almost insurmountable problems face us locally, nationally and globally.

A third, and very significant reason, we must be concerned with women’s under-representation in elected positions is that the presence of women in pubic office promises something new in policy making. New and valuable perspectives and priorities that might otherwise be ignored, because they are not typically the perspectives and priorities men have brought to public office. For instance, what were typically known as "womens’s issues" are not referred to as "human issues" . . . . education, peace, child-care, health and welfare, and other social concerns. Issues that might have never entered into the national dialog, if it were not for women - planting the seed, and nurturing the solutions.

I believe the global perspective of American women in government is one that spotlights a stable democracy with women helping to shape its future. The fact is - "Democracy without women is not a Democracy." Universally women have maintained a social service network as a voluntary political activity. When civil society is weak, or shaped by polarized gender ideologies, women have fewer opportunities to create the experiments whose successes help to transform the countries in which they live. Globally, women’s political engagement occurs against long odds. When it is perceived successful, as in America, women around the world find it pleasurable, difficult, surprising and worthwhile at the same time. Personally, I call it "the bottom line." "It’s my bottom, its on the line, and it gets shot at every day! But the opportunity to give back to the community, to solve problems by creating solutions and knowing what you do today will reap benefits for your children and grandchildren, has its own rewards that can be articulated in any language.

As we peak into the next millennium, what do we see as the future of women’s role in shaping society through government? I see structural adjustment to the evolution of the human race. From the beginning of recorded time there has been a sexual division of labor and the subordination of women. However, today’s industrialized nations have thrust women into the role of wage earner, although pay equity continues to be a problem, ore and more women are capable of caring for themselves and the institution of marriage has moved to that of a partnership status. Each gender of the species has the opportunity to enhance the life of the other rather than merely procreating.

If a woman’s role in society is to evolve into one of equal partnership and nurturing of the souls, we must not only ask our sisters to run for office.....we must support them once they do. It is only by doing so that we will be able to change the laws that address those gender-neutral issues that lift the collective status of human kind. Men and women need each other to be whole -- they need each other to complete the circle of life.

Summary of Activities of the Women’s Mayors’ Group Under Leadership of Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins

• Elected in June 1997 at the USCM Annual Conference in San Francisco
• In January 1998 at the Women Mayors’ Meeting, the agenda reflected Mayor Mullins’ efforts to focus on family violence:

--Violence in the Media - presentation by Vincent Schiraldi, Director of the Justice Policy Institute

--Violence Against Women - presentation by Pat Reuss, Director of the Public Policy Office of the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund

• In June 1998 during the Reno Annual Conference, Sharry Wong of the University of Washington shared her research on youth violence in light of the concern over the shootings in schools. Her research reflects ways in which teachers, parents and others can use early earning signs to get help for youth who may be exhibiting problems as early as pre-kindergarten.
• In January 1999 during the Winter Meeting, the agenda again focused on family violence with presentations from four different viewpoints:

--Conflict mediation - Robin Delany-Shabiz, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice

--Raising Awareness of Community Violence - Jean O’Neill, National Crime Prevention Council and Lee Allen, Safe Night USA

--After-School Programs for Youth - Jane Quinn, Ph.D., De-Witt-Wallace Reader’s Digest Fund