Karen Oxman, Golden City Council, District 2
November 12, 2007

Women are trained from birth to be ‘caregivers’.  As little ones, we played ‘mommy’ and moved from there to playing ‘family’ or ‘school’.  Probably not many of us ever progressed to playing ’elected official’, but that is where many of us are ending, or beginning, our careers in Public Service.  The slide into local politics, as an adjunct to being the ultimate volunteers in our communities, can happen in many ways.  Often, a woman has been invested in her community because she cares about the quality of life for her family.  Sometimes, the foray into local politics is a direct response to an issue that is threatening a community.  Local politics can also be a starting gate for a political career that moves beyond the municipal borders.  I would bet that many of our Colorado Women in (Municipal) Government have stories to share about how and why they are now an Elected Official, or a Staff Member of a Municipal Government! 

The national organization, WIMG, focuses on helping women learn to achieve and accomplish goals as local leaders. Women are naturals at mediating, supporting, and generating ideas.  Over the past years, women in government have found an increasingly visible and lasting place in Government at all levels.

In June, at the CML Conference in Snowmass, CWIG adopted revised by-laws and elected a new slate of officers for 07-08.  The purpose of CWIG is ‘to promote the participation and professionalism of elected, appointed, and employed women in government, to identify, research, and emphasize issues of concern to women in local government and to foster professional development of women in local government’.

So far, that purpose has meant that we choose a speaker for the June CML meeting, find supporters to contribute to our financial base, and be resource persons for anyone who would wish to contact us.  Could we be more?  Do you have any ideas to further our identity?  Do you wish to become involved, or become a resource person in our data base?  We welcome all ideas.

In the meantime, I am taxed with finding an engaging speaker for our CML in Steamboat next June (I have the feelers out!), am trying to add a Tai Chi morning event for Wednesday from 7-7:50, (Yes, I have a committed instructor!) and also trying to be re-elected to City Council in Golden!  As a woman with a mission, I just keep on moving along!  Women in government DO matter….a lot!

The CWIG President for 07-08, Molly Markert- Aurora City Councilor, reminds us…”We each need to take time in the weeks ahead to remember to care for ourselves as well as all the others we have been socialized to care for in our communities.” 

Karen Oxman,  Golden City Council
Vice President, CWIG
303-278-0400  
karenoxman@aol.com