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Editorial: Women in Utah County have more inspiring examples to look to in public service

By Staff | Nov 6, 2019

Election Day has come and gone, and our candidates are one step closer to becoming public servants once the canvass is completed.

While there has been plenty of backbiting and nastiness this year in some Utah County races or ballot issues, we’ve decided to focus on the improvements and hopeful successes arising out of the political fray.

“Women are rising up.”

At least according to Utah Valley University’s Dr. Susan Madsen.

In a Daily Herald article this week by reporter Connor Richards, Janae Moss and Dr. Jessica Egbert were reported to have met with a group of local leaders in early 2019, including Madsen, UVU’s organizational leadership professor, Barbara Leavitt of United Way of Utah County, Provo City Councilman George Handley, Orem City Councilman Mark Seastrand and Highland Mayor Rod Mann, to form a game plan to address the state’s political gender gap.

Moss and Egbert ended up running for office in Provo and Mapleton.

As of 2017, 24.1% of council members in Utah municipalities were female, placing Utah below the national average, which was between 30% and 33% in 2016, says a policy brief from the Utah Women and Leadership Project.

What a wonderful example from local thought and business leaders to not only encourage women to run in city council races, but then to take on that challenge themselves.

Whatever results are official, they surely have served as inspiring examples to other women in Utah County who perhaps never thought of running for an elected office, but most definitely have the capability to do so.

After all, we believe it can be you.

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