By Joan Crigger
July 2, 2012

Prior to the opening of the 80th Annual Conference of Mayors in Orlando, the Women Mayors held their first Special Session on June 12. This session was initiated by the Chair of the Women Mayors' Group Miramar Mayor Lori Moseley to provide time for women mayors to get together for an extended amount of time.

The Women Mayors spent the first part of their Special Session viewing the documentary Miss Representation, which explores how the media's misrepresentations of women have led to the under-representation of women in positions of power and influence. The film first premiered in the documentary competition at the Sundance Film Festival. It includes stories from teenage girls and provocative interviews with politicians, journalists, entertainers, activists and academics. The film was followed by extensive discussion. The discussion was positive and the Women Mayors indicated that it reminded them that they have a role to play in promoting women.

Following the film, the Women Mayors held a Leadership Session sponsored by the Institute of Politics of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The session highlighted leadership issues of women mayors.

Representing the Institute were: Professor Linda Kaboolian, Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School; Kathy Taylor, former Mayor of Tulsa and a Fellow during Spring 2012 at the Institute of Politics; Linda Moore Forbes, Former Deputy Assistant to President Clinton and Deputy Political Director, who was a Fellow during Fall 2011 at the Institute of Politics, and Catherine McLaughlin, Executive Director of the Institute at Harvard. The session included a case study exercise conducted by Kaboolian and extensive discussion led by Taylor.

Moseley closed the session saying she was extremely pleased with the Special Session and hoped to have similar sessions in the future.