Elect Southcoast event to help women serve in government

Dear Women of Fairhaven & Acushnet,

A recent survey by Elect Southcoast highlights an important issue in our local communities of Fairhaven and Acushnet: gender representation in elected government.

While the most recent census data shows that women make up about 54% of Fairhaven’s population and 52% of Acushnet’s, only 35% of elected roles in Fairhaven and a mere 25% in Acushnet are held by women.

Interestingly, appointed positions in both towns show significantly higher percentages of women in these roles. This stark difference points to an opportunity — and a need — for greater gender equity in our local elected offices. There are key roles in both communities that lack gender parity; while some boards have no women at all. Fairhaven’s Selectboard has one woman, of a five-member board. While Acushnet has zero of three. Fairhaven’s Planning Board has reached parity with 50% of the board being women, but Acushnet’s five-member Planning Board has none.

Elect Southcoast is hosting an event to empower Southcoast women to bridge this gap and work toward gender parity in local government. Let’s ensure our representatives better reflect the residents they serve.

So what does it take to serve? I invite you to join me at ELECT SouthCoast’s first event of 2025, Roadmap to Running, on 1/25 from 10-2 at the BCC campus in downtown New Bedford.

There you’ll learn more about how our towns are doing when it comes to gender parity on boards and commis-sions, the roles and responsibilities of key public offices, and what it will take to run or serve this year.