Daily Republic
October 30, 2011
FAIRFIELD — One hundred years ago this month, men and women packed a local Masonic Hall to hear the arguments for supporting granting women the right to vote.
The headline in the Solano Republican read “Suffrage Meeting a Great Success.” The story noted the gender breakdown of the crowd: “And listen! The male members of this community were in attendance in numbers exceeding those of the ladies and they were just as intent upon hearing every spoken word as the ladies.”
What they say
“California helped launch a national movement when we became the sixth state to pass women’s suffrage. Today, women lead corporations, run for office and serve in the highest positions of government — but there is more work to do. As we celebrate the first century of women’s suffrage, let’s also celebrate the limitless possibilities for women in the next 100 years.”
– U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein“Suffrage gave women a voice in the public arena. We have different challenges today. We must continue to encourage women to be a part of all of society’s benefits; to be at the table where decisions on how to distribute society’s resources are made. That means increasing the number of women who serve in public office, in the justice system, in all of society’s activities. And we need to develop the support systems that allow women, especially women with children, to fully participate in the workplace.”
– State Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis“As we celebrate 100 years of California women’s suffrage, women in Saudi Arabia will only be voting for the first time in the year 2015. Let us honor the suffragists of the past by continuing the fight for all women until they are free to exercise the right to vote.”
– Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada, D-Davis
The first-of-its kind meeting was organized by the Votes for Women Club of Suisun, which formed only a few weeks earlier in advance of the Oct. 10, 1911, vote. On Sept. 19, two women from the College Equal Suffrage Club visited Suisun with little warning, according to news reports at the time. Twenty women showed up to form the local chapter with “Mrs. Edward Dinkelspiel” as president.
A description of the women said they were “not women who are ‘crying aloud’ for the ballot, but women who feel it only fair that the much discussed question of Women’s Rights be given a hearing, a chance to be presented to the people of Suisun, Fairfield and the surrounding vicinity, intelligently.”
At the Masonic Hall meeting, chairman of the event and prominent resident James A. Keys said “he certainly believed they should have their wish.”
On Oct. 10, 1911, California became the sixth state to give women the right to vote, with 125,037 people voting “yes” and 121,450 voting “no.” In Solano County, 1,438 were in favor and 1,152 opposed. Within months, there were 1,248 new voters in Solano County, a figure that did not include Vallejo. Many of the new voters were women. A city election in Suisun in April 1912 had more than 300 voters, the largest turnout at that time.
The 100th anniversary for local women leaders is a reminder of how far women have come in local politics and that there is still room to grow.
“The women that sacrificed their reputation, family, time and energy to get the vote are heroes,” said Vacaville Councilwoman Dilenna Harris said. “They paved the way for us to do the job we do today.”
Solano County has several women in powerful seats. The list includes state Sens. Lois Wolk and Noreen Evans and state Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada. At the city council level, Fairfield, Vacaville, Suisun City and Benicia all have one female member, three of Rio Vista’s five members are women and four of Vallejo’s seven are women. One-fourth of the 24 judicial officers in Solano County Superior Court are women, including one commissioner.
While women are still in the minority in Solano County politics, the landscape has improved over the last 100 years.
Solano County Supervisor Barbara Kondylis — one of the longest-serving women politicians and first elected to Vallejo City Council in 1979 — remembers her first women’s breakfast at the statewide city council conference being very small.
“Every year it got bigger and bigger,” Kondylis said. “There was never a room big enough.”
“We walked into a male’s world when we first started this,” said Suisun City Councilwoman Jane Day, who was first elected in 1986.
Women leaders here say they view and approach issues differently than their male counterparts. Solano County Supervisor Linda Seifert calls it “a more consensus-driven style.”
Fairfield Councilwoman Catherine Moy thinks it is more innate for women to think of families and children when making decisions at the dais. In 2008, Moy voted against the city’s budget after discovering many of the workers being laid off were single mothers.
“It bothered me,” Moy said. “I voted no.”
The motherly approach to politics extends to school boards, Moy said. School boards have historically been more female friendly. A headline in the Solano Republican in April 1912 read “Fair Sex Triumph: Several districts to have women for their school trustees.”
The Fairfield-Suisun School District board has had four women on a seven member board. In this November’s election, there are five women running against three men for four open seats. School board is a good place for a new politician to start, especially women, Moy said.
“I’m happy to see the women who are running,” she said.
Rio Vista Councilwoman Janith Norman said many people today take voting for granted. She couldn’t wait to turn 18 so she could vote. Her first chance came in 1976 when Shirley Chisholm — a black woman — ran in the Democratic Party’s presidential primary. Chisholm lost to George McGovern but Norman got her vote.
“It’s lost on so many people,” Norman said. “I believe one person can make all the difference in the world. One vote could change things.”
With all the progress, women leaders locally fear their numbers are dropping. Kondylis’ theory is that it is a result of the economy. Fewer women can afford time away from work and family these days, she said.
And while women hold political offices, few are chairs of major boards or commissions. Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson has spent time trying to convince more local women to enter politics. Now, Patterson is planning on putting together a program to train future female politicians.
The program could be modeled after a national one: the 2012 Project at Rutgers University. The project has put a spotlight on the low number of women in politics, organizing a campaign to educate and train women for political office.
In the California legislature, 28 percent of members are women, ranking the state 12th among state legislatures for the proportion of women. Colorado is first. South Carolina is 50th. California has two female U.S. senators while 19 of its 53 House of Representative members are women.
“It troubles me greatly,” Patterson said of the decline of women stepping up to run for offices.
Reach David DeBolt at 427-6935 or ddebolt@dailyrepublic.net.
