Interviews

Anna Peterson

Mayor Anna Peterson was elected as mayor of Salem in 2010 and began her first term in January 2011. She was elected to a second term in November 2012.

Western Oregon University students interviewed Mayor Peterson as part of their work for History 698: Research Methods in Fall 2012 and they were joined by Professor Kimberly Jensen. They are shown here on October 18, 2012 at Mayor Peterson’s office in Salem, where the interview took place. Left to right, Travis Cook, Kati Greer, Brittney Teal-Cribbs, Jennifer Ross, Mayor Peterson with Votes for Women Sash, Adam Barrett, Justin Devereux, and Gregory J. Garcia. The interview was part of the commemoration of the centennial of the achievement of votes for women in Oregon and Mayor Peterson discussed her role as a female office holder in the state. Portions of this oral history interview have been edited and the complete interview is available at the Hamersly Library Archives at Western Oregon University.

Kimberly Jensen: The date is October 18, 2012. We are here at Salem City Hall. Mayor Anna Peterson has kindly agreed to let us interview her. My name is Kimberly Jensen, I am a professor of History at Western Oregon and these are students in History 698, Research Methods: Jennifer Ross, Brittney Teal-Cribbs, Kati Greer, Justin Devereux, Travis Cook, Gregory J. Garcia, and Adam Barrett.

Mayor Anna Peterson: All right. Good morning. Welcome everyone. Thank you for being here. This is exciting, I appreciate the work that you are all doing, and the work that your professor has really focused on is a joy to me because it is so relevant to today as well as looking at our history.

Jennifer Ross: So on that note…

Mayor Anna Peterson: Yes, ok…

Jennifer Ross: What hurdles, both personal and political, have you overcome personally to get where you are today?

Mayor Anna Peterson: Oh, I think one hurdle was . . . in getting my education. I married when I was right out of high school and so did not have a chance to go to college until a few years later. And it was wonderful because then I was in school at the same time that our children were in school. So we could study together, which was the good part . . . the bad part was that after I tucked them to bed, I’d continue studying until midnight, one o’clock, you all know what that’s like. And so having to juggle between the family and the education in order to really be ready to do the kind of work that I wanted to do, which was in journalism and in politics. So . . . that was one hurdle, but it turned out to be also one of the greatest experiences in my life; to go to college, to get a, to get a real education; a broad base liberal arts education. And nothing can be better when you’re a homemaker to have a professor say, “You must go home and read this Hemingway novel before the next class” [laughter]. It’s like, “Ok forget the laundry, forget the cooking I’m reading” [laughter]. Ok?

Adam Barrett: Were you inspired by anyone in your life in particular to get involved in politics?

Mayor Anna Peterson: Yes, I was inspired by Governor Tom McCall, and also . . . certainly by watching some of the national leaders in our country. And locally, really . . . knew several people in state government, Hardy Meyers who was a legislator, and Dave Frohnmayer who was a legislator and then . . . ran for governor and he was Dean of the University of Oregon Law School and then president of the University of Oregon. Dave influenced me from very early, very early on.

Adam Barrett: Was there something, like do you remember any particular thing that he did that you really were just inspired by?

Mayor Anna Peterson: You know, I was very interested in First Amendment law, when I was . . . started back to school and I was going to school at Portland State. And, I had an opportunity to be at a convention where he was, and I went over and talked to him about the First Amendment cases that he had worked on and some legislation that he had worked on to provide shield to reporters. And, I was so impressed, number one, that I could walk up to a legislator and actually talk to him. And then he, within two or three days, contacted me and sent me information from the bills. And I saw right there, that’s how a really effective public official responds when a constituent, although I was not in his district I was a constituent in Oregon, and he responded with information and encouragement. And, that was particularly important to me.

A couple of other people that were very significant to me. Betty Roberts, who was in the legislature and then was on the Supreme Court, she was on the court of appeals, I believe, and then the Supreme Court. And I was always so amazed at how effective she was and how hard she worked; and yet she had retained a soft feminine side. And in the 70s there were . . . there was more of a… it was more difficult for women to get into politics, to get into business, to really be in leadership positions, and yet she was doing it all, and then sometimes you’d talk with her and she would talk about quilting and it taught me that you don’t have to become desensitized or defeminized in order to be successful.

Kati Greer: What advice would you give to women looking to be more politically active?

Mayor Anna Peterson: That’s a really good topic for me, because I am always encouraging . . . women and young people, but in particular . . . women to think ahead and to say yes. The thing I’ve noticed over the years is, and I’ve recruited so many people to do so many things, whether it’s in the arts or in historic preservation or in fighting methamphetamine or in supporting the music and the symphony and the youth orchestras, so many times I will call a man and ask a man to come on a board, to take a leadership role to do something, and they generally will say, “Well I, you know, I’ve got to balance my work,” and you know if they are in a large corporation maybe there’s someone they check with and you know of course they usually say, “Well I’ll check with my wife,” but they never start to tell me the reasons why they might not be able to do it. But often we women, when we’re asked to serve or to take on a responsibility or to do something that’s a stepping out, we first think of all the other people that need to be served by us before we can say yes, and . . . I know the experiences. I’ve raised three children. I know what it’s like to need to go to school and the child is sick or to go to work and you know they’re home ill, but women limit themselves. They think first of their family, they think of their husband’s schedule, they think of . . . what their family needs, and I’m not saying that that’s the wrong thing to do . . . but I see women closing the doors for themselves that . . . really they need to walk through, and so what I’m saying to people now is . . . “When are you going to be the mayor? When are you going to be the CEO? When are you going to be the head of the corporation? When are you going to be the senator? Now, are you going to be president? You know, we used to ask that question and it was sort of it was almost like a game, but I don’t think it’s like a game anymore, ‘cause I really think it’s serious and if we aren’t – if your generation isn’t looking ahead, if you’re not planning and thinking – the bus is going to come down the street and you won’t be able to get on, because you won’t be ready. You’ve got to be ready. It’s really crucial.

Kati Greer: So, in light of that, you said that women have a tendency to say no and prioritize other things over political action, what do you think is the least time consuming way that women become active in their communities?

Mayor Anna Peterson: It always takes time. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well. And if it’s worth doing well, in order to do it well you’ve got to give it time. It is not something you can phone in. And be careful about what you volunteer to do, or what you sign up to do in your work, be careful that the thing that you’re committing your time to is truly going to achieve a goal. A goal for yourself, and a goal for the organization or the candidate or the issue or the activity that you’re signing up for. Is this really on point or is this a side issue? Are you getting drawn off by somebody else’s agenda? That’s what you have to be careful about, and it’s what I’ve talked with our council about a lot, and that is – you have to keep your eye on the ball, and you’ve got to keep your eye on your ball, not somebody else’s ball. We’re all out there at recess, and we’re all playing . . . playing kickball and ah, is this your ball that you’re kicking? Or are you suddenly kicking somebody else’s ball down the field? Good for them, not good for you.

Gregory J. Garcia: How has your experience in education and the workplace changed over the years and influenced your job as a mayor?

Mayor Anna Peterson: Well certainly education broadened my horizon, when I was about twenty-one one, twenty-two years old, I was becoming very involved in politics as a young Republican in Multnomah County, that was my very first entry. And I believed what I heard and I took everything at face value, let’s say, and what I learned when I went to school at Portland State, and started studying History and Politics and Economics and other things like Social Sciences and I began to understand that there can be so many sides to an issue and it’s not always just one sided. I’m . . . I’m still Republican although as mayor I’m non-partisan, but I learned fairly early on that I could be supportive of the candidate or the issue and be true to my values and that that candidate or issue may not be the candidate or issue of my particular political persuasion but I was thinking individually and independently. That’s really what education taught me was how to gather information and how to draw conclusions, and how to make an informed decision and that probably was the most valuable thing about going to school was hearing all of the different sides . . . and sometimes hearing a very, very slanted presentation by a professor and . . . maybe because of my age I was able to say to the professor privately while we were meeting in his office, “Did you think about presenting the other side of the issue? Did you think about presenting from another view?” And the looked at me and he said, “I never even considered it.” And I thought, “Boy, this is a teachable moment for one of us, I hope he figured out, who should’ve been learning at that moment.” So education helps us to open our ears and our minds and then be able to extrapolate what we’re hearing and come to conclusions.

Gregory J. Garcia: And this professor you refer to was he in the Journalism Department?

Mayor Anna Peterson: No, he was a Political Science professor.

Gregory J. Garcia: How do you feel that journalism has affected your position as mayor?

Mayor Anna Peterson: It’s helped me tremendously. I did get a degree in Journalism from the University of Oregon and I worked for a number of years in Public Relations, Media Relations, and in Marketing for various clients or for organizations that I worked for as an employee or as a board member, as a volunteer. And the journalism experience was very helpful in every one of those cases and is helpful today. For instance, when I’m contacted by the media and a reporter has specific questions for me, one of the first things I ask is “Are you on deadline?” Because if that reporter is on the deadline then they’ve got, you know, an hour or they’ve got two hours, they’re in a different frame of mind and in a different situation than a person who is gathering background information and has a couple of weeks and has time to talk with five more people and work out something. So that’s important. It also has helped me to understand what it’s like to be on the other side of the interview: why they’re asking questions and sometimes . . . the ability that they have or the inability that they have to ask the right question helps me to understand what I need to be telling them. If the reporter isn’t asking the right questions, and I feel like they’re not getting, you know, the real story, I will help them by telling them information that they’re not particularly asking for but is information important to the breadth of the story or the depth of the issue. And so, I think that is important and then also . . . frankly understanding when I’m being manipulated or used by a reporter or an interviewer and how to try to step around that.

Brittney Teal-Cribbs: So, how has the role of women in community activism and politics sort of changed over the years, because you’ve been involved for many many years now [laughter]?

Mayor Anna Peterson: I wish I could say it has changed substantially . . . and in some cases it has. More women are in leadership positions, more women are in elected positions . . . and yet there are still instances where I am the only woman in the room. There are still instances where, for instance I was at . . . an organizational conference, and the members selected the board of directors—and I’m a member of that organization. And there was one woman on the board, and there are, like, ten men. But it goes back to: why aren’t women stepping out . . . and part of the reason is because we often think of everybody else, or we . . . don’t assert ourselves strongly enough. But also it’s part of the culture to think of men in leadership roles. And I can’t tell you how many times I’m in meetings where we need a new candidate in an area, we need a new leader for an initiative. And men in the room will say, “We need a guy who can really do such and such and such and such.” And I say, “We need a person.” And, I love men! [laughter], I’m married to one! 41 years now [smiles]. But, if we don’t change our vocabulary, we won’t change the image that we have. If I tell you that my milk is delivered by a milkman, who do you think is driving that milk truck? You think of . . . it’s a man. Is it the mailman? Or is it the letter carrier? You know it’s just something as subtle as that.

As far as women and politics and being active and being leaders . . . yes there have been some changes, but . . . we’re far from equal. And the other area where we really need, to be cognizant, is having a more diverse representation, on our city councils and in our legislature, and in our workforce, in the management ranks of our workforce. And that is something that I am keenly aware of. I call Salem an international city. And, there are people who have chosen to move here, and are living here and working here from all over the world. When I was out door-to-door I met people from Poland and Bolivia. From Vietnam, from China, from Sweden. From all over the world. Africa, many African, countries. And they’ve picked Salem, Oregon! We are an international community. And yet, it’s very difficult to find minorities who are ready, at this point, to come on to city councils or county commissions, and… so that’s another thing that we have to continually work toward. Because the demographics of the community have changed tremendously, but in elected office, I don’t see the changes as much as, I think the next generation really will make a difference. Certainly hoping.

Travis Cook: What are some of the benefits and challenges that you’ve experienced as a female mayor?

Mayor Anna Peterson: I have found the community to be tremendously supportive and . . . very kind and I don’t know if that’s just because all mayors are treated that way, but I think that people tend to be maybe a little more gentle with a woman. Which, you know, you can take it as it is and appreciate it. I don’t try to play off on it. I don’t try to take advantage that way. . . . I think that sometimes I’m looked at as an anomaly, a woman in a powerful position. Particularly in some other countries they’re surprised that a woman would be the mayor, but particularly in Asian communities more so maybe than European communities.

I think one of the benefits of being a woman as mayor is that I have the ability to look at the family and look at the neighborhoods and see how our rules and ordinances affect family life because I remember what it’s like being in the neighborhood and raising our children and working with park systems and school systems. I think the other thing that is a challenge is the . . . the issue of credibility. I have a lot of girlfriends who were very successful women and we all know, that we had to absolutely work harder and do better because we didn’t want to let each other down.

Justin Devereux: Mayor Peterson, when people vote, is it justified for them to take gender in consideration, or should they, in your opinion, just vote, or should they just look at people as just citizens of the state?

Mayor Anna Peterson: Well, I’m a strong believer that, that you need to look at the individual and I never thought that anyone should have an extra credit because that person is a woman, or because that person is a minority, or because that person is a man. So I try very hard to look beneath the surface. What are the issues that person supports? If that person is tightly aligned with an organization, what are the values and mission and goals of that organization?  Because if that person is elected, that organization’s mission and goals will be that person’s agenda, or part of that person’s agenda and I don’t mean that negatively, it could be very positive. But I do think that you have to look at what individuals stand for, so that you can lift up that layer and see what’s underneath that understanding, what’s underneath that support. Why does that person support or align themselves with a particular issue or coalition or belief? If that seems solid, then to me, that person is more credible.  If I look beneath that layer and I see “Oh, that’s a channel for . . . political contributions,” do I think that person really believes those things or is it just that they believe the money stream? And in politics you have to look at that, so that you know who you’re really electing. Are you electing the person? Are you electing the money that got them to where they are? For me, it just has to be the person.

I worked at the University of Oregon for a number of years after I got my Journalism degree. I remember an association of women administrators, and they were trying to achieve more respect for women administrators and, greater parity and they had formed an association of women administrators. I wasn’t very well received because I went to a meeting with them and my comment was, “I’m not sure that we’re going to gain anything by sitting in this meeting together as women alone because the men that run this campus are over there . . . and they’re making the decisions and we’re not.” And I didn’t get invited back [laughter] to the group.  But I do believe that, if you want to make change, integrate into the organization that you want to change, so that you begin to understand that organization and/or that group of people or that coalition and begin to understand their philosophy and then you can see how to make change within. Because, frankly, I just don’t think that you can be as effective on the outside, hammering on the wall, as you can be when you’re inside at the table. So, I think that has something to do with women and do women look at themselves as a part of the unit, or do they look at themselves as a person aside that’s going to pound on the door, but maybe not have the tools to be able to be inside.

Kimberly Jensen: Mayor Peterson, we’re very grateful for the time that you have spent with us today and also your willingness to participate in this program as part of the centennial of the achievement of suffrage. And we also celebrate your contributions to Oregon women’s history and to Oregon history. I’m just wondering if there is anything that you would like to add or that you feel, ah, you’d like to have part of this interview given that hundred-year context.

Mayor Anna Peterson: I’d like to just say thank you so much to you, professor, for even framing this opportunity and for helping students to understand the value of the history of women’s suffrage and the history, particularly here in Oregon, because it is a wonderful history. We have had dynamic women leaders in our state, as well as men, and I think that what you are studying and what you are discovering with these interviews is that each individual adds to the fabric. And you each add to the fabric, what you’re doing will add to that as well. And I thank each of you for taking time and, obviously, you’ve put a lot of thought into the questions, they are great questions, and I’d like to be interviewed by all of you all the time [laughter]. This is fun. So thank you.
Are you all in the same year in school, or different years, or . . .?

Kimberly Jensen: All beginning the Master’s Program in History, so . . .

Mayor Anna Peterson: I see, ok. And it’s a two-year program?

Students: Yes.

Mayor Anna Peterson: So is this the first semester? Or is it terms?

Kimberly Jensen: We are on terms.

Mayor Anna Peterson: Ok. Terms. Great. Well, I envy you. Those school years were, even though I was folding laundry at midnight, they were fabulous years. I loved being a student. They’re the best years you’ll ever have. Make the most of them. This is great.

Come and talk to me any time. I love meeting with people and if you have ideas, thoughts about what we’re doing in the city of Salem, ah, you want to share those, anytime you think that there is something that we could be doing better or if there is something where we have missed out, please let us know. That’s the only way we can grow and be better as a city is listening to people.

Kimberly Jensen: Thank you so much, Mayor Peterson.

Mayor Anna Peterson: Well, thank you, thank you all.

Jackie Winters

Senator Jackie Winters was elected to represent Oregon House District 31 in the Oregon House of Representatives in 1998 and reelected in 2000. She won election to the Oregon Senate in 2002 and has been reelected to that position in subsequent elections.

On February 17, 2012, Will Crook, Gabriela Cervantes, Nancy Doll and Susan Mancke, students at Western Oregon University studying Gender Issues in History, experienced the pleasure of interviewing Senator Winters in her office at the Oregon State Capitol building in Salem. The following expresses the heart of this interview in recognition of the celebration of the centennial of woman suffrage in Oregon.

Oregon State Senator Jackie Winters (R), District 10, began her governmental service in 1959 at the University of Oregon Medical School in the medical records unit and later joined the staff of the Portland Model Cities Program.  In 1969, she was recruited to be supervisor of the State Office of Economic Opportunity’s New Resources Program at the request of Governor Tom McCall.  In 1979 she was appointed Ombudsman by Governor Victor Atiyeh.  During this service, she helped create the Oregon Food Share Program, which has grown in 2012 to include a statewide system of food banks serving most of Oregon’s neediest families. She was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 1998 as the Representative of District 31.  She was re-elected to this office in 2000.  In 2002, 2006 and again in 2010, she was elected as State Senator for District 10.  She and her family have lived in Salem for the past 41 years.

Senator Winters believes that women have an important role to play in government, particularly in influencing policies that impact women and families. Women have a different thought process and will consider the broader impact of such items as healthcare issues, childcare needs, children’s growth and development and the overall well being of the family.  She believes we have come a long way historically from what women were allowed to do in the political realm in 1900s, to what they are now called upon to do.  She admonishes us that it is of the utmost importance that we remember how we got where we are. “If you don’t know where you were, you don’t know where you are going.”

Q:  Please share your views on the importance of a woman’s vote.

Response: “Women bring a different view to discussion and debate.” Senator Winters indicated that women will focus on issues such as children, family and health as they nurture the human desire for a participatory democracy. She believes that women are an important element that exists within the civil rights and law movement, and how laws impact families.”

Q: What has been important in the past and how does that compare to the present?

Response: “In the past, women struggled in areas of banking and finance. Historically, women couldn’t even get a small business loan or their husband would have to sign consent for certain gynecological procedures. With women’s involvement in politics change has been accomplished. But in 2012 it’s often something that gets taken for granted.”

Q: What and who inspired you to run for office?

Response: Senator Winters replied: “My father. He was not a politician or politically involved.” The Senator talked about how discussions at the dinner table with her father were of current events, candidates for various elected offices, and what they stood for. There was also a personal connection with Charlie Curtis, a relative of her father, who served as vice president for Herbert Hoover, which led to a lot of political discussion and debates.

Senator Winters was inspired politically in 1967 while working in the records department at the University of Oregon Medical School. Winters attended a Model Cities community meeting where she voiced her opinions on how to improve her community. A pastor then asked her to become involved with community issues and Portland’s Model Cities project.

The point where she really began believing that her involvement could create real change was when her neighborhood association requested the local store owner to close at 11:00 p.m. to reduce high traffic late at night, for the sake of their children. The store was famous for having the coldest beer in town. When the store owner refused their request because the customers who drove across town paid far more in taxes than those in the neighborhood, they took the issue to the city council, whose members required the store to close at 10:00 p.m. From this point on Senator Winter’s motivation was to provide real change for people.

Q: What are the challenges and rewards for women who participate in politics through campaigns and office holding?

Response: Senator Winters believes that one thing that must be understood with political involvement is that it is a commitment for the long haul. You need to have family support and be emotionally prepared. “It is certainly not a business for the thin skinned,” she notes. “If you are concerned about winning, it’s not for you.” She also indicated that there is a set of skills required much like owning a restaurant, you need to be more than a good cook; you need to be able to balance a budget, manage people and be a people person. She compared the restaurant owner to the politician, which is reflective of her own life and said, “the same is true about politics, you need the right set of skills, understanding the issues, and know how to communicate, getting to know pieces and elements in the political arena, and you must be a people person.” She also stated that the rewards are great. She said “The rewards are thinking about what you’re doing to make things better for others, thinking about the masses.”
Then Senator Winters addressed some challenges by affirming that the real challenges are the sacrifice to the family, the financial commitment, both from raising funds and amount of money made as a senator. She said, “financial compensation does not attract young competitors with the newest and fresh ideas.”

Q: What have you done and what can Oregonians do to promote civic participation.

Response: “Education, at all levels, Elementary, High School and University. Our students know very little about our government. It is sad that other countries are more educated about our government. Not knowing about the distinction or essence of how the government works, people don’t know what role to play with in government.”

Q: Do you sense that people feel a separation with government and don’t realize that they are the government?

Response: “Absolutely but in addition, government has become so complicated that it’s very difficult to know where to begin with a problem or an issue. A large part of this problem comes with communication overload. TV editorial sound-bites rather than a person’s opinion, eliminates clarity. Moreover, most individuals do not seem to know the separation of power; the difference between states’ rights and national powers, the role of the nation verses the role of the state.”

Senator Winters closed with this statement: “Women have a very important role to play in politics and in change. And that’s what I see myself doing here at the Capitol. I look at what’s going on and where I can make things better. Women bring up things that the outside world wouldn’t think about. An example of that is providing screening for cervical cancer and breast exams. If women weren’t in politics men wouldn’t think of those issues because it doesn’t affect them. But I do think that both men and women need to be a part of the political process when it comes to families. Women have a very important role to play.”

Senator Jackie Winters is a warm and receptive person who has a great passion for the people she serves in the Oregon State Senate. She clearly conveyed to us a message that government is a participatory activity for all citizens that works best when both men and women are represented in the governmental process. We enjoyed the time we had available to speak with her and to share in her gallery, pictures of people, places and activities she has known and been a part of.

 

Connie Garcia

Connie Garcia was the Democratic candidate for Oregon House District 20 in the 2006 election.

Sean Wasson, Alyssa Penn, and Alexandria Westlund interviewed Connie Garcia at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Oregon on Wednesday February 2nd, 2012.

Connie Garcia is a strong believer in the rights of citizens, especially those of minorities. As a woman of Mexican American heritage, she knows first hand how difficult things can be. She campaigned for a better education system, one that did not leave children behind.

Q: Please share your views on the importance of women’s vote.

Response: “The price of liberty and freedom is eternal vigilance. We (women) recently got the right to vote. If we don’t use it, it could be in jeopardy. Rights are in jeopardy in states where they are considering requiring ID cards for voting.”

Q: What has been important in the past, and how does that relate to the present, with regard to women’s rights?

Response:  “It was not that long ago that we got the right to vote. Most of those women that fought for that right were also women who were abolitionists that fought for the rights of black people. I would like to think that they were abolitionists first who realized that they did not have the same rights as their husbands. There was lots of activity with women in labor strikes. We still have a long way to go.”

Q: What and who inspired you to run for office?

Response: Connie Garcia never thought about politics or running for office because her father had a negative view of politics. His parents were part of the Mexican people who were repatriated in the 1930s. Garcia retired because she got tired of teaching in an education system that was eroding away. Her older children had a better educational experience than her younger children. The older ones got to have shop, and home economics. Year after year programs would go unfunded. She was an elementary school teacher that ended up teaching in the high school. She got tired of seeing kids pushed out and neglected, so she left teaching. She lived the retired life a while, until a friend suggested that she run for office.

Q: What are the challenges and rewards for women who participate in politics through campaigns and office holding?

Response: “The person I was running against [Vicki Berger] was very well established already. I was not, I didn’t have the connections that she had. The climate toward minorities, and Hispanics, we are not there yet. There is a lot of anti immigrant sentiment. Religion was an issue as I do not practice. That was a big thing. There are a lot of people who practice their religion, and that may have cost me some support. Politics are not about religion, they are separate. Money was an issue, my opponent had the money that she needed, I had to go fund raise, which was difficult because people did not see me as a viable candidate to win.”

Q: What have you done and what can Oregonians do to promote civic participation?

Response: Connie Garcia grew up in the 1960s when there was a lot of social activism. She feels there is currently a lot of online activity, and people are not out there as they should be. The protest movements really need to be out there more, and in the online world. “I keep individually motivating people one on one. It’s just not there with the masses like it should be …Think of the police brutality of the 60s, compared to now with the mace and the pepper spray, its just crazy out there … Most people would not think that would happen now days in a place like California. People are intimidated.”

Q: Do the people that are running use their religion as a reason to get votes?

Response: “Listen to the Republican primary, yes they do. The people that are running right now on the Republican side are very conservative. Religion is part of their daily lives…It’s hard for someone who is not religious to break in. It’s tied in with the anti abortion, anti gay stuff.”

Q: When did Hispanics get the right to vote?

Response: “It’s part of being a citizen. It wasn’t like the blacks who had to pass a reading test. We had the right when we became citizens. My parents became citizens in their late 50s and they voted in every election following that. It’s a right that Latinos are empowered by. It did not face a lot of opposition like it did with the black Americans.”

Q: Did you focus only on education during your campaign?

Response: “The issue of health … is still being debated. Health is a right for everyone. How can you pursue life and liberty if you are not healthy? You cannot separate health and economics.”

Q: What has been the largest reward from running for office?

Response: “It may not have opened any doors, but I still meet people that voted for me. It’s cool to meet the people that supported me. I never gave myself any kind of importance in that kind of sense; I just did what I thought that I needed to do. I did not think that it would be possible, given my limitations, but once I started going door to door and people started listening, I realized that people were open to ideas. Even though I knew deep down I would not win the election …The recent election results show that there is some discontent with incumbents.”

Conclusion:
Connie Garcia is a strong advocate for minorities having equal civil rights. Having a heritage as a Mexican American and growing up during the 1960s, she witnessed firsthand how difficult activism can be and how it also unites people of different races and sexes. Her story and history made her campaign unique. Her profession as an educator allowed her to see the administration of the educational system and also its many flaws. Due to this she stepped into the political world and campaigned for a better educational system, one that did not leave any children behind.

Image Courtesy of Connie Garcia

Jeanne Deane

Jeanne Deane was the Democratic candidate for Oregon House District 20 in the 2004 election.

On February 10th, 2012 Steve Baker, Jelena Boskovic, Jaden Kaufman, Colin McHill, and Josiah Liedkie had the opportunity to interview former candidate Jeanne Deane. Ms. Deane is a very influential leader. From the time she was a young woman working at the State Department in Washington D.C., she was interested in becoming actively involved in politics and making a difference in people’s lives. She later became involved with Western Oregon University students and really pushed them to do the best they could do in school.

While working at the university, Ms. Deane was not ready to give up on her political work. In 2003 she decided to run for the 2004 election for Oregon State Representative as a Democrat against Republican incumbent Vicki Berger. She also was one of the founders of Abby’s House Center for Women and Families on the Western Oregon University campus.  Ms. Deane was actively involved in The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and the annual Academic Excellence Showcase on campus.  Ms. Deane was also president, vice-president, secretary-treasurer and steward of SEIU Local 503, OPEU Local 082. She did so much for our school and, county, and helped so many people in need. We were honored to be interviewing her.

Q: What and who inspired you to run for office?

Response: “An acquaintance called me and said, ‘Vicki Berger has no one running against her. This is not a fair way to run a campaign and have an election. We think you’re qualified, “would you please run?’ And I did it, and it was 15 minutes before the end of filing time. I had no time to think about it, which was good because I immediately took care of that. And so that’s how it happened, but you need someone running against a person because you need to hear the opposing views and decide: Who do I support? Do I want to go with this candidate or that? So it gave people an opportunity to hear how both candidates felt about the issues.

“There is an issue that I thought was kind of important. You know the yellow signs at school where you have to slow down to 20 m.p.h.? When they initially made this law, which was in 2003 or the year before I ran…, you had to do that every day, 24 hours a day and during vacations, and it was a law in any school area. Whether children were there or not you did that …I did not think that was right. During school hours 20 m.p.h. was good but why do that during summer vacation when there were no students around? So they did change that the next time they had an opportunity to do so. I’m sure people have mentioned it before, but it just didn’t work for them.”

Q: What are the challenges and rewards for women who participate in politics through campaigns and running for office, in your opinion and experience?

Response: “The experience, that’s good, and there are challenges, of course, of time and being able to spend time with family and friends, and I continued to work. I also ended up going out to interviews and to the forums and to house parties. It’s a very time-consuming thing. Not to mention knocking on doors and phoning, and all the things that go into a campaign. It’s difficult to run a successful campaign.”

Q: How did this compare to a man running for the same position?

Response: “Well of course we were both women, but the forums, and everybody got the same questions. However they responded, they had to send the responses to the people who were doing the forums. And you would come and answer the questions when asked and then more follow-up questions were asked. And men had to do the same things.”

Q: What have you done and what could Oregonians do to promote civic participation?

Response: “When I worked for the City of Monmouth, I did participate in the planning commission in the city. I was the secretary but at the same time I learned about everything that was going on. I was an employee of the city. It is very important for people to get involved in the government, when they have a topic of interest, for example regarding children, safety, health, that the city or state can take care of. There are a lot of committees and boards. People can really participate in this kind of thing and have their voice heard.”

Q: The article about you in Western Oregon’s newspaper The Journal states that you were not satisfied with just a 9 to 5 job. What was your motivation to become such an influential leader here at Western Oregon University?

Response: “I think I needed that extra outside influence to keep me going. I had that extra energy and it was important to me, and when it’s important, you really want to work at it and make sure you are successful.”

Q: Can you share your views of the importance of women’s vote, what has been important in the past and how that compares to the present?

Response: “Women have different perspectives on most if not all issues, and I think it’s important that they get out there and make the issues known, even if that changes some things. I don’t know if you remember or if you were too young, but Vicki Berger’s father [Oregon State Representative Richard Chambers]… tackled the issue of cleaning up bottles and cans littering public streets and sidewalks, and he introduced the Bottle Bill. Later, Vicki Berger herself would instigate the same movement against discarded bottles and cans on sidewalks and roadways. I know [former Oregon Governor] Barbara Roberts would not have gotten involved in politics if it weren’t for her son. He was an autistic child, and he could not go very far in school. She pushed and lobbied at the legislature for children with disabilities to be involved with mainstream schools…Yes, men had supported them, but the forefront for these issues was women who initiated them again.”

Q: What was your main issue that you wanted to tackle?

Response: “That school one was very important at the time for me. But there were a lot of other issues I stood behind. But I am a Democrat and so it’s those kinds of issues I support. But these latest ones that [have] come up regarding contraceptives being an issue … women need to have the option of contraceptives available to them, and they shouldn’t have to pay a lot of money to get contraceptives.”

Q: What are some specific ways that you could promote women to get involved with civic and political issues?

Response: “I think you need to speak with them and personally invite them to get involved. When they are interested in a certain issue, it is easier to get them involved. But it’s difficult when women are working and have families. Women usually deal with more than men.”

Jeanne Deane was a fantastic interviewee and was able to give us, as students, a chance to learn the actual process of an interview, and the means by which we keep history alive. Ms. Deane, as a former staff member of Western Oregon University’s Social Science Division, Monmouth City planning commission participant, and a former candidate for state representative, was a valuable resource as we looked at the current status of women’s enfranchisement. Deane’s record of civic participation and community participation was stirring; when viewing her life’s work it is evident that she is a woman of initiative, who really cares for the issues that the modern woman faces today. She was a pleasure to talk to, and a striking example of individual participation as an effective means to transform a community. 

Kate Brown

Secretary of State Kate Brown was appointed to serve in the Oregon House of Representatives in 1991, was elected to two more terms in the House and in 1996 won election to the Oregon Senate. In 2004 she became the first woman to serve as the Senate Majority Leader. She was elected to the office of Oregon Secretary of State in 2008.

Zachary Jones, Amanda Cross, Chandler Miranda and Josephine Colburn interviewed Oregon Secretary of State Kate Brown on February, 14th, 2012 at the Oregon State Capitol Building. This was done for the purpose of the Century of Action centennial celebration of woman suffrage in Oregon. Secretary of State Brown expressed the themes of increasing the diversity of representation in the legislature and connecting Oregonians with how their government works as well as the importance of woman’s vote.

Q: Please share your views on the importance of a woman’s vote. What has been important in the past and how does that compare to the present?

Response: Secretary of State Kate Brown felt that there were two levels of importance based on her background in the legislature. “For me it was really important to have other women colleagues.” One example she gave was a coalition of lobbyists that she worked with to pass a Family Medical Leave Act in 1991. Oregon was one of the first states to pass this law; she felt that it was really due to the number of women in the legislature. She felt that women’s voices in the legislature would “reflect a greater sense of Oregon culture…”

Q: In 2004, you became the first female Senate caucus leader to serve in Oregon, how did that feel?

Response: Secretary of State Brown feels that there is still work to do, but that it was exciting to be the first. It is a “challenge to be the first always because you represent all of the people that have come before you but also all of the people who will come after you.” She recognizes that you always need to step carefully and have the knowledge that mistakes will be attributed to being the first. “Really aware…of what it took…to get to this point.”

Q: What and who inspired you to run for office?

Response: Secretary Brown was inspired by working on 1991 legislation for Family Medical Leave and realized that she “could make a difference and make lives better across the state.” She got a call from her state senator asking her to run; she was only 31 years of age at the time.

Q: How did your time teaching influence you?

Response: She learned a couple of things from teaching at Portland State University. She has kept in touch with the students that she had. She always tried to keep the learning piece of her seminar really engaging through bringing in guest speakers and involving the students because “it is really important to the learning process.” Part of her leadership theory is “pushing the work down” which is an idea that everyone works hard to learn and should not have answers simply given to them. This is an idea that she has brought to politics.

Q: What are the challenges and rewards for women who participate in politics through campaigns and office holding?

Response: Secretary Brown observed: “There is still a layer of sexism out there.” She talked about how sometimes she still gets treated like people’s “little kid sister” or “little niece.” She also notes: “Sometimes women get put into boxes,” like if you are a woman then you work on a certain type of issues. She did mention that when she first started she worked in areas that were “traditionally female” based on her prior career experience in family law. But when she became caucus leader she worked on “non-traditional” roles such as budget issues.

One thing that currently concerns Secretary Brown is that there is a lack of women working on budget negotiations in the state legislature. Without women on budget committees, there will be a lack of voices at the table when the budget is negotiated. One major thing that she mentioned was that it is important to her to have a “diversity of voices at the table,” meaning that there are representations of multiple groups, whether that concerns budget negotiations or really any part of the government.

She talked about her early days in the legislature and how she struggled with her Democratic colleagues because of her passion for civil rights for all Oregonians.  When she became Democratic caucus leader she worked to have a “progressive majority” and she spent a lot of time changing the leadership in the legislature.

Another major thing that she talked about was the title of “Secretary of State” and how that influenced the gender of people who held the office. She felt that if the title had been “Lieutenant Governor” then the number of women who held the office would not be as high as it is. [There have only been three female Secretaries of State in Oregon history.] Secretary of State Brown was also concerned about the fact that we have less than 30% women in the legislature which is one of the things that need to be addressed when trying to diversify the representation at the table.

Q: What have you done and what can Oregonians do to promote civic participation?

Response: Secretary of State Brown mentioned a couple of things that she is doing to get youth motivated to vote; in fact that is one of the major parts of her work. One example is “Project Citizen” where students in low income areas get a chance to work on public policy issues and work with their communities to solve a public issue. This project also includes education about Oregon’s voter system.

She also tries to always speak at high schools and do mock elections that are meant to show the way in which student votes would change the dynamic of voting. If there was a higher “youth” vote, then Secretary of State Brown feels that a solution to education, cost effective loans for students, jobs out of college and the environment would all be major focuses in public policy. On university campuses they are also doing “guerilla raps” which is essentially where she will go and speak at the beginning of a class very briefly, providing statistics such as how, in 2008, there was an increase in student voting and then in 2009 there was an increase in student funding. Then they pass out voter registration cards, collect the completed forms, and then leave and go to the next classroom.

Another project is the “Civics Tool Kit” that gives information about different amendments that has been passed and also the way in which Oregon’s government works. “Any time I can talk to students, I do that,” Secretary Brown notes. She also is active in the Latino community and with new citizens. She is also very active in promoting online voter registration since the “student population is very mobile.” The “Pew Project” is a program intended to make the voter registration seamless—when you don’t get asked at the DMV about voter registration then Secretary of State Kate Brown will send you an e-mail. Students in Oregon can also register to vote when they are 17 so she is hoping to organize a voter registration for high school students in September, 2012. Another recent development made iPads available for voting to people with disabilities.

Her passion around civics is rooted in the idea of diversity and she feels like it is really important to have the leadership of Oregon reflect the diversity of Oregonians.

Q: How would you respond to those who say that voting doesn’t matter?

Response: To respond to this, Secretary of State Brown told the story of how, after she was appointed to the State House of Representatives in 1991, she had to run against the woman who had previously held the seat. In this case, Brown won the race by seven votes. “My story to the world…is that your votes do matter…I’m living proof of that.” She believes her win gave her the ability to create a progressive majority in the House and also with passing gay rights legislation. 

Q: With a progressive majority, why has Oregon not passed same-sex marriage legislation?

Response: Secretary of State Kate Brown responded to this issue in conjunction with Washington having just passed the same-sex marriage law. The challenge for Oregon is that it is a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage versus a statutory ban. So, in Oregon we would need a vote of the people to repeal the constitutional ban and then to pass the same-sex marriage law, whereas Washington only needed their legislature to pass it for it to become a law. She feels that by 2016 it will be passed in Oregon as well.

Secretary of State Brown’s legislative assistant Josh Goldberg joined our conversation. He talked about the PolitiCorps program that brings students together from across the nation and gives them a “10 week boot camp” that teaches them everything they need to know about Oregon government. Students get to plan and run a campaign including picking issues that they find important. Goldberg also mentioned that the women who make it to the legislature have skills that are really held in high regard and thought of with a lot of respect. In terms of gender, he felt that Oregon has a higher representation of women in the legislature than other states, which says a lot about Oregon.

He also mentioned that it is a “citizen legislature.” Secretary of State Brown said that she feels this is a deterrent to women who would run because the pay is not enough to live on; thus, more pressure is put on women who need to have another source of income and “adds something else to women’s already filled plates.” When recruiting candidates, she also mentioned that women often feel like they are not qualified for positions whereas men “wake up and want to run for office,” Plus, in her opinion, women have a larger issue with asking for money for various reasons. She noted that she can sometimes be “Minnesota Nice,” often being reluctant to ask for campaign contributions.  In the past, women have been less connected to money, but she feels this is changing.

This interview is important in showing the steps that Secretary of State Brown has made in connecting young voters to their government. We have gained valuable insights throughout this process about the inner workings of the current government and how it is related to gender issues. In addition this interview points out that there are still issues that need to be addressed in terms equality of minorities represented in the legislature.

Vicki Berger

Representative Vicki Berger was elected to represent House District 20 in the Oregon House of Representatives and has been reelected to that position in subsequent elections.

On Wednesday February 15, 2012 Representative Vicki Berger responded to questions regarding woman suffrage by interviewers Meagan Beisley, Christopher Freeman, and Allison Barker. Representative Berger focused on her personal experiences as an office holder, as well as the inspiration she drew from various women in her family. Coming from a long line of Salem-based Oregonians, Representative Berger offers Oregon a unique vision both as a woman and as a dedicated public servant.

Q:  Please share your views on the importance of a woman’s vote. What has been important in the past and how does that compare to the present?

Response: Representative Vicki Berger grew up in Salem, Oregon next door to her grandparents, who were also longtime residents of Salem. Berger expressed how this contributed to closeness with her grandparents. She then shared a personal story regarding her grandmother, May Steusloff and her grandmother’s sister Dorothy Steusloff. According to Berger, both women attended and graduated from Oregon State University. However, upon graduation there was no federal amendment guaranteeing women across the nation the right to vote, and there wouldn’t be for the next three years. Berger recalls being astonished that two college-educated women were not granted a federally guaranteed right to vote, though they were lucky enough to have gained the right in Oregon.

Regarding the current importance of woman’s vote, Representative Berger emphasized that half of the population are women and have different issues than men. Not necessarily more important, but different nonetheless and need to be heard in order to have a participatory democracy. As she stated, “…If you don’t have everyone participating, it’s not working. So … it couldn’t be more important both on a policy level, on a personal level, and also on sort of this human level of inclusionary democracy.”

Q: What and who inspired you to run for office?

Response: Representative Berger never saw herself becoming a politician. In our society, politicians have been given a bad reputation, which Berger believes is unfair “because we have to have politicians. It’s… like the lawyer thing, everybody likes to rank on lawyers, but you wouldn’t go into a courtroom without one … Politicians are a part of our democracy.” Berger cites her previously mentioned grandmother as a source of inspiration, but her mother, Kay Chambers, was a major influence on her decision to run for office.

Having grown up in the 1950s in a traditional family with a working father and stay-at-home mother, Berger notes that it was a very authoritative era. Her mother however, was very vocal and active politically. When Berger was eleven, her mother ran for Marion County Commissioner as one of twelve candidates. It was a very different time for women in politics.

When women ran for office it was generally for the seat previously held by their husbands. Berger notes that there were certainly some very courageous women running for office at the time, but it was “not the model.” As a result, when her mother placed sixth in the election, Berger was both self-conscious and very proud. In part from this experience, when it came to running for office there wasn’t an issue of gender. In addition, her father, Richard Chambers, was active as a citizen advocate in the Oregon State Legislature. Representative Berger noted that both sides of her family, mother and father, were key inspirational figures; her mother as a woman running for office and her father for introducing legislative experience as an option.

Q: What are the challenges and rewards for women who participate in politics through campaigns and office holding?

Response: Representative Berger stated: “I think everybody should run for public office in the United States at some point.” She explained that running a campaign both gives a person a different perspective of American politics and helps the individual learn more about their own self and core values. Berger wishes there were more elections like the twelve-candidate election in which her mother ran, noting that her mother learned a great amount about herself even with a losing ballot.

Regarding issues for women candidates, Berger names one of the biggest issues as child rearing. Women in the past had thought they could “have kids and do it all,” but that is not always the case. Representative Berger at one point wanted to attend law school, but made the choice to support and care for her first child. Berger had been interested in politics since her college years. She made the choice to raise her children and work to help pay for their college instead of immediately pursuing her political ambitions. She feels it is very taxing to take energy away from activities centered around children and put it to running a campaign. “[This] is equally hard for men, but for women it just becomes sometimes insurmountable.  And it’s a personal choice thing.”

Representative Berger held her first political office as a school board member beginning in 1988 and served four years, after which she realized something was missing. While the job skills she learned were useful and her job was very important, Berger knew that she was missing out on her children’s lives and events, and they were missing her in turn. Berger then made the personal choice not to run for reelection.

One of the things Berger faced as both a challenge and a reward was public speaking.  She recalls, “I was so shy in high school… you couldn’t have gotten me to speak up for anything. And here I am in this full public sphere. I learned that, and I learned it deliberately.”

Berger noted that public speaking is something that holds many people back in American politics, especially women. She cites self-consciousness and body image as contributing factors that can lead women to fear public speaking. She emphasized that if public speaking is the only thing holding a woman back from running for office, “change it. You can change it… The person that stands up and articulates the vision is the leader, and if women want to be seen as leaders in any venue, they need to be the people that stand up and articulate the vision.”

Q: What have you done and what can Oregonians do to promote civic participation?

Response: Representative Berger talked about the “ugly dynamic of partisanship” and how in our current political arena a person must wave some sort of partisan flag rather that discussing themselves and their ideas as a whole. Because of our present means of information gathering, people look for “news sources” to reaffirm their own opinion rather than challenge their thoughts. Berger spoke to the nature of this, saying that if we “continue to just affirm ourselves into little locked cabinets, we don’t have a consensus-building dialogue. And that’s where we get the gridlock that we see.”

Berger names Washington D.C., as a “poster child” for this behavior. She is sure to note that those in D.C., are not stupid, nor do they refuse to compromise, but they have been “locked into these ideologic[al] cabinets” through the election process. Instead of it being possible for politicians to be open minded, they are trapped by “promises” or “commitments” to a particular issue, which reduces their ability to compromise and collaborate.

Recognizing that there is no easy solution to this problem, Berger cautions the electorate to reassess how they think of sound-bytes they may read or hear on the news, and look into the character of a politician rather than basing all judgment on a single policy position, and be wary of affirming media that seeks to take place of thoughtful dialogue.  Berger noted that it is a dangerous time for American democracy for both men and women. We haven’t come to terms with how advances in technology have changed both how our traditional democratic process functions and how it is viewed by society.

Q: In the past you ran against Jeanne Deane and Connie Garcia. Was it different running against a woman candidate rather than a male candidate?

Response: Representative Berger reiterated that she believes everyone should run for office at some point and expressed her appreciation of the willingness of Jeanne Deane and Connie Garcia to take on an incumbent and run for office. As for noticing any difference regarding campaigning against male or female candidates, Berger did not think it made any difference. She explained that campaigning is not so much about beating a specific person, but rather an opportunity to stand up and present her own views and accomplishments. Berger did mention this on the topic of Deane’s and Garcia’s respective campaigns as well as gender differences in male versus female candidates: “For me, it’s great: two woman candidates, [be]cause I like more women candidates. But as individuals, or as components in an election, [I] don’t see it [gender] as particularly distinguishing.

Q: Do you have any other comments you would like to share?

Response: “Only that I’m glad you are doing this, for my grandmother’s sake … We take so much for granted in terms of our political… ability to affect things… My grandmother was an important part of my life and . . . for her sake I just am glad that we’re beginning to renew our … understanding of the importance of this [woman suffrage]. This is the first step to solving some of these other problems that I was talking about in terms of ideas being taken off the table and put in cabinets and opinion holding sway over ideas… So thank you for doing this.”

It was a pleasure interviewing Representative Vicki Berger. She was welcoming and well-spoken and provided us with strong information about what inspired her to become a candidate and office holder.