In good hands: A few strong women leading Maine into future

For the first time in Maine's history, women
could hold the top spots in both the House and
Senate next year, depending on which party
wins the majority in November. Democratic Majority
Leader Sen. Libby Mitchell and Republican
Minority Leader Sen. Carol Weston both
have their eye on the president's prize in the
Senate, where the two parties currently are just
one vote apart. In the House, Majority Leader
Rep. Hannah Pingree is the heir apparent to the
speaker's chair, if Democrats hold onto their
current and substantial majority there.

Those three women, along with outgoing Senate
President Beth Edmonds, already make up
a strong quartet of female voices, who get things
done by trying to get people to work together
behind the scenes. If it's true, as they say,
that men make war, these women of the
Legislature forge compromise without looking
weak in the eyes of their male counterparts, who
far outnumber them. There are currently 12
women and 23 men in the Senate and 46
women and 105 men in the House.

All four took time in the frenetic last week of
the legislative session in April to talk about their
leadership styles and offer advice on how women
can effectively rule.

Madame President

Beth Edmonds of Freeport, a library director
by trade, isn't the first woman president of the
Senate. That barrier was broken by her immediate
predecessor in the job, Beverly Daggett,
Edmonds, 57, rose to the role quickly, however,
having served only two terms before winning the
highest spot in the legislative hierarchy.

While other people encouraged her to make
the initial run for Senate, the decision to run
for leadership was hers, even though she knew
she would be more liberal than the people she was
going to lead.

How do you stand firm to your own principles,
and still bring people together? the former
chairman of Maine NOW and the Maine Choice
Coalition asked herself. I'm much more definitive
now, she said, after four years as president.

The tendency for women is to want to bring people
together, be collaborative. I also think you need
a complementary skill, which is when to say, no,'
or stop, or we're going to do this, regardless.'

Edmonds, who is leaving the Senate this year
because of term limits, also understands that
sometimes women can be their own worst enemy.

I think some people don't take women seriously
that is true for both men and women.
There's internalized sexism where women believe
the sexism about each other or themselves. And,
sometimes that's actually a more devastating feeling,
because we expect women to back us.

Leading GOP charge

Carol Weston of Montville, the head of the
Republicans in the Senate, would like to see her party
in the majority next year and it would mean capturing
just one more seat. She is under no illusion
that will be easy.

The Senate has been divided 18 Democrats to
17 Republicans for the last three terms, but Weston
says she's determined. I'm very focused on
the campaign and getting a majority, she said. For
men or womenthe focus you put toward your work
is more important than anything else.

I'm not a multi-tasker, honestly, Weston admits.
I put together a list of things I have to do, and I
do it one by one.

Weston, 58 and a mother of two, got pulled
into politics when the representative for her district
decided not to run for re-election and suggested
she go for it.

The first thing I put on my list was to win, she
said.

After serving two terms in the House, she moved
to the Senate and was elected her party's leader
last year.

Women look at the position differently and
earn it somewhat differently, she said. We
do it by serving. We feel we must serve, facilitate,
bring other people up. Men tend to think that
leadership is the decisive action, demonstrating decision
making. We do the work behind the scenes,
we orchestrate.

Asked about her plans for elected office beyond
the Senate, Weston said she would only run if
there were a need, and doesn't want to take on
jobs she can't accomplish. I tell my husband,
Don't let me get one rung up too high on any ladder.
Don't let me be an example of the Peter Principle.'
It's really interesting how people's egos can cloud
their judgment.

Making history Twice

Elizabeth Mitchell of Vassalboro was the first
and only female Speaker of the House in Maine a
point she likes to illustrate by showing people the
photo gallery of speakers outside the House
chamber where she is the only woman in a virtual
sea of men.

She's rooting for Pingree to become the second
female Speaker, but could make history again if she's
elected Senate president next year and becomes
the first woman to have held both positions.
Elected to the House just a week before her
third child was born, the 67-year-old mother of
four says higher office is probably out of the
question after a Senate presidency. On the other
hand, Mitchell just got her law degree two years ago,
so she's hardly running out of steam.
She sees herself as a mentor to other female
legislators. Her advice is know your stuff, stand
your ground and don't scream.