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Survey shows women generally not interested in public office July 15, 2018, 7:27 am"Our City Council and administration have noticed a low number of female applicants for appointed positions on city boards and commissions," city spokesman Cameron Boyle said. "As such, the city council requested we conduct a survey to determine if there were any deterrents to women in our community applying for these positions." From March 1 to 12, 288 women responded to the survey. Of those, 80 percent were between the ages of 25 and 45; 81 percent had voted in the November 2017 election. Only 2 percent of respondents have run for an elected position; just 3 percent have ever applied for a position on a committee or board. Forty-seven percent would consider applying for a board or commission but only 17 percent would be interested in running for political office. The majority of respondents said they were too busy to serve. They also said that a lack of knowledge prevented them from serving. Other reasons given were funding, campaigning, intimidation and not feeling qualified. Seventy-two percent said women are not adequately represented at the city level. However, 94 percent indicated they are interested in city issues. "When you look at the city council and planning and zoning, women's representation is small but with the other boards and committees in the city, there are predominantly more women than men," Council member Chris Condie said when the survey results were presented to the council. "If they knew that, would that number shrink if they knew they were more adequately represented?" he wondered. Intern Shaye Simkins who conducted the survey suggested the city hold a public information meeting to let local residents know more about the various city committee and boards and the application process. Mayor Mark Johnson suggested they investigate what committees other cities have, a recycling committee for example, where they involve their residents. "We do plan to create a plan to better inform residents of opportunities to serve, including town hall meetings," Boyle said. "We do not yet have a definitive date for information meetings." The community news source for Eagle Mountain Utah, Saratoga Springs Utah, Lehi Utah, American Fork Utah, Highland Utah, Alpine Utah, and The Cedar Valley, including Cedar Fort Utah and Fairfield Utah. Copyright 2024 The Crossroads Journal LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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