Wanted: more women in politics

By Jonathan Riley

DIGBY COURIER

NovaNewsNow.com

Digby’s deputy mayor Sheri Lewis would like to see more women in politics.

She organized a meeting last week at the Isaiah Wilson Memorial library in Digby to discuss the issue.

“Women have a different set of priorities,” she said to half a dozen women and one male reporter. “They are often more concerned about safer communities and safer streets, they often feel stronger about recreational facilities like playgrounds, and because overwhelmingly women are the heads of single families and money is so often an issue, they do bring a different perspective to the table.”

Although more than 50 per cent of Nova Scotians are women, only twenty per cent of municipal councillors are women, only five per cent of mayors or wardens and only 14 per cent of chief administrative officers or town clerks.

Nova Scotia’s numbers are the lowest in the country, and WILG would like to see women make up 30 per cent of the candidates in this year’s municipal election.

Digby’s town council is already made up of 30 per cent women (two out of six), the municipality’s council is 50 per cent women (two out of four), and the municipality has woman in the job of CAO.

Lewis says she’d like to see Digby hit 50 per cent.

“It would be great to have equal representation of both the female and local voices.”

WILG has organized four campaign schools for women – the closest one to Digby goes 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 3 in Yarmouth.

Lewis says the sessions will be informative, informal and fun.

They will cover such issues as how municipal government works, the roles and responsibilities of councillors and how to run a campaign, including mock door-to-door exercises.

WILG urges women to vote in the Oct. 18 elections, to join a municipal advisory committee, to participate in public consultations and council meetings, to assist in municipal campaigns or best of all run for council.

“It’s not that hard,” says Lewis. “You should be interested in your community and eager to put up with some scrutiny. It’s very rewarding – or I wouldn’t have been doing this for 20 years.”