From left to right: Mary Fuller, Meg Currie Teoh, Rachael Bollens and Carrie Hawkins Charlton.
Last week, Magisterial District Judge Ed Levine swore-in four women — Mary Fuller, Carrie Hawkins Charlton, Meg Currie Teoh and Rachael Bollens — to Lansdale Borough Council, marking the first time in history that four women were simultaneously elected to serve on the nine-member council.
"I'm thrilled that we have four women on council in 2022. Given that women make up the majority of our population, ideally we'd like to see even more than four, but I'm still happy to see this progress,” Denton Burnell, Lansdale Borough Council president, said. “I love the diversity of thought and perspective that having more women serving our community will provide, and I'm looking forward to working with Mary, Carrie, Meg and Rachael in the coming months."
As the newest woman on the council, Bollens thanked the women who paved the way to make leadership positions more accessible for her generation.
“In this sort of new age of inclusion, it's easy to forget how recent this kind of progress is. If you look at local positions like these mere decades ago, you were lucky if you could find one woman in representation,” she said. “As a woman and a single mom, I will inherently be bringing different perspectives, life experiences, thought patterns and solutions to the table. Diversifying leadership is really about expanding the pool in which we draw creative solutions from, and is truly a win-win for the community as a whole.”
The four women said it’s empowering to stand together on the council at the same time. They hope that the historic moment shows other women that they belong in office and encourages them to run.
“I would be delighted to take the encouragement I received from my colleagues and pay it forward by welcoming and supporting more female candidates,” Currie Teoh said. “It's not easy to be the first woman in the room, but when you are welcomed in then it makes that room and the next room less daunting.”
Hawkins Charlton added that this moment can inspire girls to achieve anything they'd want for their lives.
“The future is theirs for [their] taking with no glass ceilings to break. They have already been broken,” Hawkins Charlton said. “These gender stereotypes are gone and it seems natural that a woman can become President of the United States, a race car driver, a plumber, a brain surgeon, a stay-at-home mom, whatever makes her happy.”
Her 11-year-old son has attended meetings with her since he was very young and was only 5 years old when she was first elected. She has been proud to show her son that his mother has a seat at the table. that her opinions matter and that she adds value to the important conversations taken place during those meetings.
“I hope that impacts him and his thoughts about how women play a role in society,” Hawkins Charlton said. “One borough meeting, specifically, I remember bringing him along, rushing in late and saying, ‘I'm pulling double duty today.’ I look around and I'm sitting with all men at the table. Not one of those men, none of them ever had to do what I was doing, being a mom and working at the same time with no childcare. Some people don't understand. Why would you want to drag your son to these meetings and volunteer all this time away from your family? I'm making Lansdale better for him, that's why. I'm honoring my parents who have lived their whole lives here and I'm helping to make Lansdale better for my son and the next generation. It drives me every day to do better.”
While this is an exciting moment for the borough, the four women elected and other women in the community, the council members hope that women continue representing political office until it’s viewed as “normal.”
“My hope is that we get to a day where women — or any minority — being elected isn't newsworthy based on gender, race, ethnicity, etc,” Fuller said. “Let's be newsworthy for the work or service we provide to the municipality we serve.”
See also:
Montgomery Township Swears In New Township Officials for 2022
North Wales Borough Makes History as First Deaf Mayor Sworn-in Monday
Editorial: Selling the Sewer System Would Be Bad for Towamencin (and Elsewhere)
Stephens Announces Grant Approval to Rehabilitate Fellowship Park
Daytime Road Closures Scheduled as Crews Work on Keeler Road Bridge in Towamencin
