Commissioner of Public Advocacy & Executive Director of the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women, Karen King has issued the following statement on the importance of female representation in local government and participation in the elective office process:

“The Erie County Commission on the Status of Women denounces the act of violence committed against Melissa Hartman, the current Eden Town Supervisor and a candidate for Erie County Clerk. We support the rights of all women to fully participate in the democratic process, which includes the right to run for elected office.

On March 28, 2022 a partial pipe bomb was thrown into Eden Town Supervisor Melissa Hartman’s home while she and her family slept. The device had multiple threats written on it, including a message that stated unless she dropped out of the race for Erie County Clerk, the next pipe bomb would be live. This act of violence against Supervisor Hartman and her family is unacceptable.

The incident is currently being investigated by the Town of Eden Police Department, the Erie County Sheriff’s Office and the Erie County District Attorney’s Office. While Supervisor Hartman has vowed not to be intimidated by this act of violence and will not withdraw from her candidacy for Erie County Clerk, it is important to note that the current political landscape has a long way to go toward achieving gender parity. This most recent act of violence cannot be allowed to stop the progress women have made, nor inhibit the choice of future women candidates to run for any office they choose. Representation matters!

Current statistics on women serving in elected office:

• U.S. Congress: 27.1 percent of the 535 seats

• Statewide elective executive: 30.6 percent of the 310 seats

• Municipal office holders in cities with a population of 10, 000 or more: 30.5 percent

• Municipal office holders in New York State: 31.4 percent

We share these statistics on women in elected office from the Center for American Women and Politics (*) to illustrate the point that women are still woefully underrepresented in elected office nationally, statewide and locally. It is through this lens that we must recognize the full impact of the recent attack on Melissa Hartman and her family.

When a woman decides to run for elected office she knows that she will be facing an uphill battle. She will face scrutiny based on archaic ideas about gender roles, endure sexist and misogynist remarks and be asked to answer questions about her qualifications and capacity to lead.

When a woman decides to run for elected office it is not a decision she makes lightly. It is a thoughtful decision that requires courage and commitment to public service. When a woman decides to run she knows that she is standing on the shoulders of her foremothers and sisters who fought valiantly and for many at an incalculable cost, for passage of the 19th Amendment, securing a women’s right to vote and to participate in the democratic process.

When a woman decides to run for elected office she knows that she is part of this legacy, and wants to ensure that the next generation of women who decide to run will not have to tolerate threats and acts of violence aimed at them for exercising their right to run. She will not be silenced or retreat from threats and acts of violence. She will not be deterred. She will persist!”

For more information about the Erie County Commission on the Status of Women, visit the ECCSW website at: https://www3.erie.gov/csw/

*Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). 2022. “2022 Women in Municipal Office.” New Brunswick, NJ: Center for American Women and Politics, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University-New Brunswick. https://cawp.rutgers.edu/2022-women-municipal-office (Accessed April 8, 2022)