Ottawa Herald, The (Ks)
Published: June 16, 2011
It’s all about the right person for the job, Heather Jones said.Gender, to her, is irrelevant.
“Gender doesn’t matter as much as the person,” she said.
Jones, elected to office in 2004, is the first female county attorney in Franklin County in more than 20 years. And she’s one of many women in the Ottawa and Franklin County area who hold top city and county positions.
The recent retirement of Jean McCally as assistant superintendent from the Ottawa school district, as well as the departure of other women from county and city positions during the past few years, may create the perception for some that men and women don’t equally occupy positions of power within the city and surrounding areas. But looks can be deceiving.
Power positions
Two Ottawa city commissioners are women and, as of Monday, the Ottawa school district soon will have women in the principal roles at three of five schools. And then there are the women who are business owners and managers — women like Tina Albers, Walmart Logistics’ first female general manager.
Linda Reed, one of the two women serving on the Ottawa City Commission, said it is important to have women occupy leadership roles within the city and county.
Reed, who also is the lab director at Ransom Memorial, 1301 S. Main St., Ottawa, said women can provide a perspective that tends to get overlooked in their absence.
“We need their voices as much as a man’s,” Reed said.
Are certain jobs linked to gender?
Certain positions within the city and county historically have been occupied by either men or women.
That continues to be the case, despite a few anomalies.
John “Ed” Taylor, Franklin County commission chairman, said during the past 20 to 30 years only two women have been county commissioners as “most commissioners have been men.”
Debbie Hough, Franklin County treasurer, said her position is typically held by a woman.
“Most treasurers in the state are women,” Hough said. “Out of 105 counties, maybe a dozen are men.”
Hough suggested pay might be a factor as to why most county treasurers are women.
“Men can sometimes get better, high-paying jobs,” she said. “Most treasurers worked in this office prior to being treasurer and starting wages were not really that good, which created a revolving door.”
Hough, who has worked in the county treasurer’s office since 1978, said all treasurers during her time there have been women.
Franklin County Sheriff Jeff Curry said, when he initially started at the sheriff’s office in 1994, his immediate supervisor was a woman. Today though, Curry said, few women are on the patrol or investigative side, which he said represents a national trend.
At the 911 emergency dispatch center, Curry said, most leadership roles are occupied by women.
Still room to ‘step up’
Curry attributes the lack of women in the sheriff’s department to a lack of applications from them.
“There’s been women in leadership roles, and I would expect to see that increase as more women are encouraged to take on those jobs,” he said. “From a law enforcement perspective, it can be handy to have a female officer on certain types of cases involving victims who are women and children.”
Reed said she feels like the city is “fairly balanced and ahead of the game” in terms of women filling top roles, but she said there is “still room for women to step up.”
“Women have a tendency to sit back and not go for these positions when they become available,” Reed said. “The women who do occupy these positions aren’t necessarily ‘bra-burners’ or even very outgoing.”
Reed said women don’t need to be afraid because there is nothing to be afraid of. “Just go for it,” she said.
Other responsibilities
One factor that might lead women to forgo careers and might even prevent them from running for positions within the community are family responsibilities.
Hough said she was fortunate enough to not become treasurer until her children were out of the house.
“I didn’t have a lot of duties at the time,” she said. “And being the mother is important.”
Those who go forward with professional careers often say it’s a tough balance and sometimes families suffer.
With two children, 3 and 7 years old, Jones said there are definitely times when she’s pulled away for work and she’d rather be with them. She said she spends about 50 to 60 hours a week in the office.
“But, I took this position knowing I would have to make sacrifices,” Jones said. “And I’m pretty tired.”
Reed said women tend to be pulled in many directions. For her family, having two working parents heavily involved in the community requires a joint effort.
“I couldn’t be doing it if it wasn’t for my husband,” Reed said.
Louis Reed, a former Ottawa school board member who works as an investigator for the federal government and is The Herald’s local historian, said dealing with the hectic schedule sort of becomes your life.
“You work around it and share the duties around the house, but it takes a lot of time,” he said. “There are evenings where we don’t see each other, and we’re probably not there as much as our son would like.”
Does it really matter?
Jones and Curry say no, gender isn’t important.
As the president of the Ottawa school board, Marge Stevens agrees.
She said she never thinks of gender.
“I’m in the position where you do what is best for the kids,” Stevens said. “I never think of it as a woman or a man thing.”
Stevens is one of two women serving on the school board and, during her 40 years in the district, she said, about two women have always had positions on the board.
“It’s really about whether or not they’re qualified,” she said.
The Reeds say it does matter, to an extent.
“Definitely need those voices because women bring a different perspective,” he said.
It’s also about having a role within the community.
“I feel it’s important for everyone, man and woman, to be involved in the community,” she said.
Angelique McNaughton 