Gathering of Dem women turns into angry showdown
It was supposed to be like "A League of Their Own," but it's showing shades of "Mean Girls."We told you recently about an effort by the 18 women running in the June 5 election for seats on the city's Democratic County Central Committee to band together to publish slate cards, hold fundraisers, walk precincts and mentor each other. It was supposed to show that women can change the often nasty tenor of politics.
But the group's most recent meeting devolved into an angry showdown featuring a wagging finger, shouting "Shut up!", accusations of sabotage, a fuming early exit by three members and at least one upturned chair. And former Supervisor Chris Daly wasn't even there!
At issue was some progressive newcomers' inability to pony up the $1,000 they'd all agreed to contribute to publish the slate cards. Those will be going out soon to the roughly 23,000 "perfect women voters" in the city, meaning females who've voted in the past five city elections.
Apparently, Supervisor Malia Cohen told the cash-poor women they had to "pay to play," and attorney Kat Anderson accused them of sabotaging the entire effort. Then somebody accused Anderson of "living in the Marina," which is a fact, but apparently a mean one.
That's when Hene Kelly, a progressive stalwart and self-described "den mother" for the newcomers, told school board member Hydra Mendoza - who was trying to calm everybody down - to shut up and wagged her finger. Then, Kelly upturned her chair (she says that was out of sheer clumsiness) and stormed out of the room with the newcomers, Wendy Aragon and Kelly Dwyer.
"I just didn't want people to be shamed in there or to feel like second-class citizens," Kelly said. "What is this saying about women ... they can't help each other? It is breaking my heart."
Aragon said she's definitely not participating in the women's slate anymore.
"It turned into animal farm - it was even worse than watching men fight," she said. "It was mean girl bullying in that room - that's not why I'm here as a woman or here in politics."
Sounds like Kelly is out too. She said, "I am comfortable with being on a slate who wants me for who I am, not because I have ovaries."
Cohen, Anderson and women's slate founder Alix Rosenthal said they'd like all to come together again, but also point out that anybody who can't raise $1,000 doesn't have a shot at winning anyway.
"Running for office is more than a notion," Cohen said. "There's a certain level of organization that has to exist, and part of it has to do with fundraising."
Rosenthal said what happened is a sign of a larger problem in San Francisco politics.
"I think it's a symptom of this male-dominated political system we have where progressives and moderates have been conditioned to hate each other in this city," she said. "We all have to practice kindness."
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