NEWS

The following appeared in an October 1st mini-editorial in the Herald Times. Sophia believes that the editorial significantly distorts the points made in her September 28th press release. The campaign has prepared a rebuttal to the editorial which you can read here.

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Is gender an issue?

We were a little bit surprised to hear Monroe County Council-at-large candidate Sophia Travis say this week that a reason she is running is because there aren't enough women, especially women from racial minorities, in Monroe County government.

Perhaps she was thinking of Bloomington, where the only woman in elected office is Clerk Regina Moore. Mayor Kruzan and all nine city council members are male. By contrast, Monroe County is practically a matriarchy, though it's indisputable racial minorities have been absent.

Two of the three county commissioners, including the president, are women. The auditor, county assessor, recorder and treasurer are women. Two of the seven members of the county council, including the president, are women. Two of the county's seven judges are women.

Beyond that, five of 11 township trustees and two of four township assessors are women. And Monroe is represented in the Legislature by three women: Sens. Vi Simpson (who is part Native American) and Becky Skillman, and Rep. Peggy Welch. If Travis believes gender is a reason to elect her, does that mean she'll be voting for Republican commissioner Joyce Poling over Democrat Michael Englert? And will one of her three votes for council-at-large go to Republican Leasa Farkas?