Women Who Succeeded in Politics Share Know-How With Hopefuls

Marcia Milchiker went to Saturday’s third annual Political Woman conference in Santa Ana because, she said, “I want to pay back a little of what I got.”

Two years ago, Milchiker, then a 38-year-old Laguna Hills homemaker and political novice, picked up enough pointers on how to run a successful election campaign to win a seat on the Saddleback Valley Community College Board of Trustees.

“I learned to prepare concise answers to every conceivable question a voter could ask me,” Milchiker recalled. “You want to be considered a serious, thoughtful candidate, but most voters who ask you questions are not interested in hearing you give a long, drawn-out thesis on education.”

Milchiker also put the conference’s fund-raising suggestions to work, building up a $10,000 war chest in just two months.

Other women like Milchiker who hold elective offices in Orange County, women contemplating elective office, and women just wanting to learn more about the political process made up most of the 200 conferees at the half-day session at Rancho Santiago College.

Honesty Stressed

At one of the workshops, the audience heard city council members talk about the need to build coalitions to get elected while remaining true to principles.

“You’ve got to be honest with yourself,” said Evelyn Hart, a nine-year veteran of the Newport Beach City Council and former mayor. “One of the most volatile ballot issues has been growth. I’ve had a lot of pressure to change my vote and thoughts on growth.

“It doesn’t matter what side of the issue you come down on. The important thing is that I stuck with what I wanted to do, and I think the voters returned me to office because they respect my integrity.”

Clarice Blamer, who is in her second term on the Brea City Council and is chairman of the Orange County Transportation Commission, said, “I even have words with my own campaign manager.

“One way I keep my personal stamp on the campaign is that I make sure that all my campaign literature goes out in my own words,” Blamer said. “I don’t make promises just so I can attract people at the fringes. I tell all the voters that I will study the pros and cons of every issue and do the best I can.”

Adrienne Frankel, 18, of Irvine, said she sat in on the Hart and Blamer workshop because she was running for freshman class president at Scripps College in Claremont.

“I’m interested in a long-term political career, and I thought it would be good for me to listen to these movers and shakers,” Frankel said.

Wants Women on Council

Ann Harris, a 43-year-old personnel analyst from Garden Grove, said she was interested in what Hart and Blamer had to say--not because she wanted to run for office but because she wanted to know how she could support women candidates for the Garden Grove City Council.

“Garden Grove doesn’t have any women on the council and I want to see what I can do to change that,” Harris said.

The conference on “The Political Woman III: Her Changing Face In Orange County” was sponsored by the Women’s Coalition of Orange County, Rancho Santiago College’s Women’s Programs and Services and the Orange County Commission on the Status of Women.