A Woman’s Touch At The State Capitol

Editor’s note: In the latest magazine edition of Talk Business & Politics, we quizzed five female legislators on the evolving opportunities and challenges for women holding elected office at the state capitol. 

 State Rep. Mary Broadaway

State Rep. Mary Broadaway is a second-term Democrat representing Paragould in the House. She is an attorney in the law firm of Broadaway and Broadaway with her husband, Brad. They have three children.

TB&P: It’s 2015, and women make up only 20% of the Legislature – 20 members in the House and seven in the Senate. Why does the percentage still not mirror the general population?

Broadaway: I still think it’s sociological. It’s been very interesting that there have been studies done of children, young children, who, men are much more likely to identify themselves as people who are likely and interested in taking on a role in politics and leadership and government. I wish that I had the percentages, but I was astounded at the gap between little boys and little girls –at least 15 to 20 percentage points. And I think that carries on through. It has also been studied that the number one reason that women run for public office is because they are approached and asked, that they often don’t think about it or consider that a primary goal.

Women still, I mean, we’ve come so far, and women are professionals and they have jobs and they are tremendously successful, but we still also consider our biological clocks and parenting and raising children as a very high priority. And so as you look around, there are not that many women that have small children that are in the Legislature. A lot of women that choose to run, run later in their lives, and so I think that there is still the disparity for how we’re wired and sociological reasons.

TB&P: On the campaign trail, do you feel you have to overcome a bias against you, or does being a female actually help with voters? Or does it even matter?

Broadaway: That’s hard to tell. I did not feel a bias at all. I thought in some ways that it was helpful to me. I think women are excited about female candidates, and I think that men often view women as fresh and want to have a female perspective. So when a woman finally makes a decision to run, I think it’s often very helpful to be a woman. …

The other thing that you have to look at it is what you have done in the community. And I lived in the community where I ran for 20 years. I was involved in every civic organization in all kinds of leadership roles, and so people knew me as a person, not necessarily as a woman or a man.

TB&P: Do the skills of persuasion you use to win a case as an attorney translate to the Legislature, or do you have to use an entirely different set of skills to compromise and get legislation passed?

Broadaway: I have found that being an attorney is extremely helpful to me in the Legislature. Certainly on the most basic level, I’m used to reading the law. And I think one thing that’s really helpful is that you can look at laws and kind of see unintended consequences sometimes of very well-intentioned legislation. And so the part of being a lawyer that helps you analyze is very important.

Now as far being able to get your legislation passed, which I think is what your question actually goes to, I think that’s helpful as well. I think when someone is confident in the well, is confident speaking in front of people, you are persuading just like you’re making an argument to a judge or a jury. And so absolutely I think those skills are helpful. Also, as an attorney, one negotiates and compromises, and that is such an integral part of legislation. It’s rarely a bill that is not amended or discussed or some kind of compromise is made before it actually becomes a law. So I think that it is enormously helpful being an attorney.

State Sen. Missy Irvin

State Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, is serving her second term in the Arkansas Senate. A doctor’s wife who works in their family practice, she’s well-known for her positions on health-care-related issues such as the private option, which she initially supported and then opposed. Among her current bills – unsuccessful so far – is Senate Bill 273, which would prohibit the Department of Human Services from carrying out portions of former Gov. Mike Beebe’s Health Care Payment Improvement Initiative, which rewards medical providers that keep costs below certain levels for so-called “episodes of care” and penalizes them if costs are too high.

TB&P: Is it time to get past the perception that women legislators, or other working women, are “juggling” motherhood and professional duties? Should we even be having the conversation in this day and age that women have to sacrifice something to be able to serve in the state Legislature?

Irvin: I would say we don’t need to have that argument or discussion anymore. There are so many women here that deal and are on the front line with their kids, whether it be public school education or curriculum or small business owners. There are so many women out there who are so active in our state. And their voices aren’t really heard up here. That’s why it’s important to have women legislators up here because we bring a different perspective, we bring a different voice to it.

TB&P: You’re the co-sponsor of the Fair Sentencing for Minors Act, which would make it possible for a minor sentenced to life in prison to be eligible for parole after 28 years. What made you decide to sponsor that act?

Irvin: As I reviewed the Supreme Court cases, it looked to be a judgment that came down that I thought we needed to pay attention to. I also looked at my time as serving as chair of the Children and Youth Committee, the different things that I learned about our [Division of Youth Services] system and [Division of Children and Family Services] system, and really trying to understand.

I think a lot of time, when you’re talking about a minor, you’re talking about someone who is still under the roof of their parents. … And so I think when you look at that, a lot of times, children are, they’re definitely results of their circumstances in many, many occasions, and I’m a parent of four children, and I see that I’m responsible for them. And so when I looked at the situation, when I looked at that, I really thought that it was absolutely worthy to be able to begin the dialogue about this issue, given the Supreme Court cases, given the different states that have gone down this path – particularly [former Texas Gov.] Rick Perry’s comments and his advocacy of this in Texas.

TB&P: Do you think that female legislators see faces when discussing policies, where male legislators sometimes see just numbers?

Irvin: Yes, I would agree with that. I think that women legislators, we’re process thinkers. We try to process through how that policy is going to affect the people in the state in a more personable way, I think. Not to take away from any of my male colleagues, but they’re definitely numbers driven.

And I think with women, particularly an issue that I brought up last week [was] the health reform that Gov. Beebe has put in place. In theory and in practice, yes, we want to cut budgets, we want to save money, and we want to do those, but at the end of the day, when you do it at the expense of people, the citizens of our state, and you’re holding people accountable, in this case doctors accountable for something that’s beyond their control, then I tend to look at that and say this is worth a lot more debate and a lot more discussion.

I think women legislators have compassion. I do; I guess I can speak for myself. When it comes to Medicaid, and when it comes to this issue, there can be a point where you say we’re just going to find every single way to save money, even though you’re holding the doctor responsible for the fact that the parent of that Medicaid child didn’t pick up their antibiotic or didn’t give them the full regimen of their antibiotic or hasn’t bathed them in a week and a half. I’ve been somebody who’s actually given a child a sponge bath in the clinic before, so this is real life when it hits that point.

The same is true in education. I have four kids in the public school system, and I can tell you when my child has been one field-tested for the [Common Core] PARCC test, I can tell you how crazy that stupid test is, because I’ve experienced it and I know it. So I think we bring a very different perspective because we’re the ones on the front lines with a lot of the policy and how it’s implemented and how it just actually meets real lives, at least for me. When you have kids in the public school system, or when you are married to someone who’s treating a lot of Medicaid patients, then I feel like I have a front row seat to where that policy really hits real life.

State Rep. Charlotte Douglas

State Rep. Charlotte Douglas, R-Alma, a second-term legislator, is a retired anatomy and physiology teacher. She represents Crawford County and parts of Sebastian County in District 75.

TB&P:  You’re a former educator who now sits on the House Education Committee. What perspective do you bring because of your background?

Douglas: I bring a 360-degree perspective that is very unique. I taught in public schools. I have a brother that is a private school administrator and another brother who is a retired public school superintendent. Six of my grandkids are homeschooled, and my father taught and coached in higher ed. Our dinner conversations can be very intense. This has given me the passion to fight for the best education for all kids. One size doesn’t fit all. We have to be able to form partnerships across these battle lines for education to be effective for all children.

TB&P:  Do you ever find yourself having to go against your inclinations as a teacher, such as with budget issues?

Douglas: As citizen legislators we all bring different perspectives to the table. Our conversations and questions in committee allow us to see issues through the eyes of all Arkansans. As we gather that data we realize that what is good for all Arkansans is usually also good for each of our districts. I try to stay true to teacher issues because that group is shaping the next generation of Arkansans. We need to support them and give them worth. They deserve more respect than they are presently getting.

TB&P:  Your dad, Ouachita Baptist University basketball coach Bill Vining, could be a tough guy even though he had a heart of gold, and I know you had some high-testosterone brothers. Did that prepare you for the mostly male world of the Legislature?

Douglas: We competed with each other in every sport. I was sure I could hit that baseball just as far as my brothers. And even if I didn’t, I usually was able to convince them I did. My five brothers and sisters are all tremendous public servants. Our example was our parents. My dad was the diplomat. Very measured, never met a stranger. But my mom was the one we learned courage and confidence from. There are a lot of old (Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference) officials who still remember her scathing indictments of their officiating skills. Growing up in the Vining home was great preparation for the skills I have needed in the predominately male world of a legislator. Just ask my brothers!

State Sen. Linda Chesterfield

State Sen. Linda Chesterfield, D-Little Rock, who served three terms in the House and is in her second term in the Senate, is a retired educator and past president of the Little Rock School Board. She also was president of the Arkansas Education Association and served on the National Education Association’s executive committee.

TB&P: You’re a former educator. Do you ever find yourself using a teacher’s voice to settle everybody down so business can get done? What ways do you use your classroom skills at the Capitol?

Chesterfield: I use my classroom voice to gain control of the committees that I’ve had the opportunity to chair. One of my colleagues often tells me that I talk to him like a teacher. I think that is a good thing because I believe that provoking discussion is critical, and allowing full participation is essential. You can’t do that without order.

TB&P: You’re also a former Little Rock School Board president. What is the one thing that needs to happen for that district that would be effective but also doable?

Chesterfield: I believe that we need to concentrate on growing our own superintendents, much like North Little Rock does. We have brought too many folks into Little Rock who have no knowledge of the history of the district and no cogent plan to move it forward. When I was president of the board, I pushed to hire a superintendent with Arkansas ties. Fortunately, we hired Don Roberts.

TB&P: You’re an African-American female Democrat from Little Rock who once was president of the AEA. A lot of people would read that description and make the assumption that you are pretty liberal. But I’ve heard you say things through the years that give me the impression that you don’t like being placed in a box. Is my impression a fair description, and if so, how do you stay out of that box?

Chesterfield: I agree with your perception of who I am. I don’t like being put in a box, and I do not judge my colleagues by labels assigned to them. I just always figured that, ‘When two people agree on everything, somebody is not thinking.’”

State Rep. Julie Mayberry

Freshman state Rep. Julie Mayberry, R-Hensley, is perhaps best known as the former co-host of KATV’s morning news show, “Daybreak.” Her husband, Andy, held the legislative seat before she did. Mayberry’s career has been spent in media and advertising. After leaving TV news in 2001, she was a television spokesperson and the owner of Mayberry Advertising with her husband. The couple also founded I CAN! of Arkansas, which provides extracurricular opportunities for children with disabilities.

TB&P:  You now occupy the same seat your husband occupied. Should people have a problem with that?

Mayberry: No. Andy served two terms in the House of Representatives. While he was there, I helped him behind the scenes. And now that I am there, he is helping me. That is just what makes our marriage work. We do everything together. I think voters in District 27 know that and felt comfortable with me taking his place. They knew they were getting the same team. No one ran against me in the primary or the general election. I believe that’s because they know and trust that they would be represented in a similar way. It certainly has helped me as a freshman understanding a little more of the process because I witnessed Andy go through it.

TB&P:  You’ve gone from reporting on the news to making it. Does it feel empowering to be in a position to actually make changes, rather than just presenting information and hoping it makes a difference?

Mayberry: The media can at times be an even more powerful force than a legislator. I value both roles. They both have a place in the process. I do believe that my background as a reporter has helped to prepare me for the job I am now doing. As a reporter, you are asked to cover a variety of topics. Very quickly, you have to know who to ask questions, what questions to ask and be able to decipher fact from fiction or opinion. Then you have to take that information and share it in a concise manner. You are also trained to know that there are always two sides to every story and it’s important to look at the issue from different perspectives.

TB&P:  You’re a pro-life legislator who sponsored a bill to prohibit tele-abortions. When you hear abortion called a “women’s issue,” what is your reaction?

Mayberry: Abortion is a “people’s issue.” Preventing abortions saves baby boys and girls. It also affects both the mother and father. HB1076 and SB53, which will prevent webcam abortion from starting in Arkansas, are sponsored by Sen. Missy Irvin and me. Being pro-life means I value life from conception. The bill will come before the Senate Health Committee this week. It passed in the House 83-4 last week, and included both Democrats and Republicans. Notably, every female in the House (from both parties) supported this bill.