Kaysville councilmember Tamara Tran gets profiled in a national publication and Utah’s female cabinet members speak up about the importance of diversity in representation.
Women in local government – As of June 2020, per the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics data and the U.S. Census, of the 356 mayors of the U.S. cities with populations 100,000 and over, 76, or 21.3%, were women. Of the 1,621 mayors of U.S. cities with populations 30,000 and above, 378, or 23.3%, were women. In Utah, there are 43 mayors, or 17.3%. Nine represent cities of 30,000 or more. Of city or town council seats in Utah, 29.3% are held by women. Forty-seven councils have no women on the council and Sandy City has the highest percentage, with 6 out of 7 possible spots held by women. The National League of Cities recently profiled 8 local municipal leaders from around the country and included Tamara Tran, councilmember on the Kaysville City Council. One piece of advice she offers to women who are interested in local leadership: My advice for all women interested in serving is simple, “get out of your own way…” we seem to be our own worst enemies. I was told by a friend, “put your ego aside and follow your heart.” This has been life-changing advice. I’ve applied this as I’ve made decisions as a Planning Commissioner and as I cast my vote during council meetings. (National League of Cities)
Representation matters – There are seven women in the Cox-Henderson cabinet. Tracy Gruber is the executive director of the Department of Human Services, Margaret Busse is the executive director of the Department of Commerce, Casey Cameron is the deputy director of the Department of Workforce Services, Tiffany Clason is the executive director of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Jenney Rees is the executive director of the Department of Administrative Services, Jill Remington Love is the executive director of the Department of Heritage and Arts and Kim Shelley is the executive director of the Department of Environmental Quality. They joined together to write a piece about the bold efforts the administration has made in their efforts to make important changes. The Cox-Henderson administration is striving to break barriers for women in government by creating a senior staff and Cabinet composed of more women leaders at the highest levels of government. We are the seven female Cabinet members who bring experience, knowledge, diversity and perspective to advise the governor in meeting the priorities and challenges voters elected him to address. We are mothers, spouses, daughters, sisters, neighbors, friends. We represent different faiths, political views and life experiences, and we bring these perspectives to work everyday on behalf of the citizens of Utah… We are proud to serve the Cox-Henderson administration to demonstrate a woman’s place is in the home, the boardroom, the Legislature, the Cabinet and anywhere decisions are being made. (Deseret News)
