Women Told How to Pursue Political Posts : Workshop: Female officeholders stress applying for appointments on powerful commissions like traffic and planning.

The first political post state Sen. Marian Bergeson ever pursued was eraser monitor for her third-grade class.

“That was a traditional breakthrough, because boys were eraser monitors and the girls were paint monitors,” Bergeson (R-Newport Beach) said Saturday during a workshop for women interested in entering politics.

Even though she lost that grade-school election, Bergeson went on to far bigger things. In 1978, she broke through another barrier by becoming the first woman to represent Orange County in the state Legislature.

A key factor to getting into politics is not letting traditional female roles get in the way, she said, echoing the theme of Saturday’s workshop.

The California Elected Women’s Assn. for Education and Research held the workshop to show women how to break into politics by seeking appointment to local or state boards and commissions.

A statewide survey by the women’s political association found that most men build their political portfolio by serving on a board or commission before running for office, said Marcia Milchiker, president of the Saddleback Community College District Board of Trustees and chairwoman of the workshop.

Women, on the other hand, often run for office only after becoming involved in their local PTA or petitioning their City Council for some action like adding a new street light, Milchiker said.

As a result, men dominate powerful boards and commissions often by more than two to one and build up better references for when they run for office, she said.

Few women even bother to apply when the Fullerton City Council seeks to appoint members to the powerful transportation and planning commissions, Councilwoman Molly McClanahan told about 45 women attending the workshop.

Women and men are equally represented on “soft” commissions, such as the library and cultural affairs commissions, McClanahan said. But when it comes to transportation and planning, the number of women applying and serving “just drops dramatically,” she said. “I think it boils down to this: land use equals money equals power.”

Women are underrepresented on powerful commissions because they have failed to seek positions on them, she said. Until more women apply for those influential posts, the community will not be fairly represented, she said.

Orange County Supervisor Harriett M. Wieder also said that women need to change their attitude and seek more powerful posts.

“How many of you have thought about being policy-makers in traffic or transportation?” Wieder said. “That’s ‘for the boys,’ isn’t it?”

But as traffic becomes more and more important politically, the power of transportation commissions increases, she said.

A desire for power seems to be a key political difference between men and women, Wieder said.

Traditionally, “we don’t seek power, we seek responsibility,” she said. “But what’s wrong with seeking power if you can achieve this responsibility?”

Wieder won a seat on the Board of Supervisors in 1978 and has been reelected three times. Not only was she the first woman supervisor in Orange County, she continues to be the only woman in Orange County ever to hold the post.

If women are to achieve political equality with men, they must seek the politically powerful positions, she said.

“I never thought of myself as a woman” politician, Wieder said. “I just thought of myself as a person. I didn’t realize I was different until I (won the election and) got to the fifth floor” of the Hall of Administration.

Rather than seek political power, women traditionally seek to influence their communities through volunteer organizations, Milchiker said.

But she said after she was elected to the college district’s Board of Trustees, “I found I can really make a difference much more than any of the volunteer organizations I was involved in.”

The California Elected Women’s Assn. for Education and Research is encouraging women to enter politics by seeking a political appointment because it has found that to be one of the most effective methods, Milchiker said.

To apply for an appointment position, she said, women should find a board, committee or commission that fits their interest and goals.

They should also be aware most require a large commitment of time, especially the powerful commissions.

When applying for an opening at the city level, McClanahan said, be prepared to answer tough questions like, “What are the five biggest development issues in the city?” and “Sum up your philosophy on growth and development.”

Prospective female politicians need to seek influential community members--preferably those that know the council members--to use as references, she said. They also should get to know city issues by attending council meetings and reading meeting agendas and minutes to learn about the issues, she said.

Above all, women should not get discouraged if they are turned down for a position, McClanahan said.

“The bottom line is, it’s a political process,” she said. “You may be beautifully qualified, but it’s still a political process.”

After listening and taking notes at the workshop, Placentia resident Adrienne Edmondson, 38, said she has decided to seek an appointment to a statewide commission. Edmondson, an organizational development specialist for Northrop Corp., said she agreed that women traditionally have left authoritative positions to men.

“We’re brought up differently, playing with Barbie dolls versus playing with war toys,” she said.

But as “people issues” like family, child care and unemployment become larger concerns, more women will find it easier to enter politics, she said.

“There are things we need to know to play at the table, but I don’t think you need to give up being a woman” to enter politics, she said. “There’s nothing wrong with (a woman) grabbing at the power.”