It takes courage and hard work to break into politics and seek elected office. USINFO looks at three very different women who made the effort and won. This is the second of a three-part series about women serving their first terms in the Maryland General Assembly.
See also “Maryland Delegate Urges Women To Be 'Part of the Process'”
and “'Success Is the Best
Revenge,' Says Maryland Lawmaker.”
Maryland State delegate Gerron Levi represents her district in Prince George's County. |
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Washington -- Hard work and some very
supportive friends helped Gerron Levi realize her lifelong
dream of holding public office.
In November 2006, Levi defeated two incumbents
and another nonincumbent for a seat as a delegate in the
Maryland General Assembly, representing her district in
Prince George’s County. The Maryland General Assembly,
which has 141 delegates and 47 senators, meets each year
for 90 days to act on more than 2,300 bills, including the
state’s annual budget.
“I had always had the desire to run
for public office,” Levi told USINFO. “I didn’t
know exactly how I would enter into that. I didn’t
have a great number of contacts in the [Democratic] party
establishment in Prince George’s County -- in fact,
I had none.” But Levi's friends always urged her to
reach for her dream.
In December 2005, she held her first community
meeting to establish herself as a contender for the delegate
seat.
“The primary obstacle,” Levi
said, “was simply ‘name recognition.’
For any candidate [who wants to enter] into office, the
primary obstacle is getting known and getting your message
out to enough people.”
To do that, of course, takes money.
“Money is central to being able to
mail things to people, to host events, to get to know people,”
Levi said. Initially, she raised money from family, friends
and professional colleagues -- Levi is an attorney and serves
as assistant director of the Legislative Department at the
AFL-CIO, a federation of more than 50 national and international
labor organizations.
By January 2006, Levi had $38,000 and eventually
was able to raise a little more than $70,000 for her entire
race.
At the end of March 2006, Levi had mailed
literature about herself and her political goals to more
than 30,000 voters. In the course of her campaign, most
voters got at least five pieces of mail from Levi. She walked
through neighborhoods, knocked on doors and personally introduced
herself to more than 8,000 voters at their homes. She went
to countless community events and held her own fundraisers.
“That’s how I was able to gain enough name recognition
and then go on and win the race,” Levi said. “I
basically outworked the incumbents.”
Levi credits her success despite being a
political newcomer to two special aunts, who gave her emotional
support, and the support of many great friends.
“When I got ready to run for office,
I was surprised by some of the things my friends did,”
Levi said. “I had so many friends who gave me enormous
money, opened their homes and just ‘went over and
above [the call of duty]’ for me. And so I feel that
I owe them a great debt -- that is part of the reason I
really try to be as best a public official that I can be
and to remain true to my convictions.”
Those convictions include improving the
troubled school system in Prince George’s County,
closing the “achievement gap” between students
of color and their Caucasian counterparts, and reducing
crime. Levi is proud of the work she did on passing a bill
to prevent truancy, which she considers to be a “feeder
crime” -- a “small crime” that potentially
leads to more serious crimes. She also has been tireless
in her work to get parents and communities to become more
involved in working to improve the performance of neighborhood
schools.
A graduate of the University of California,
Berkeley and the Howard University School of Law, Levi got
her first taste of politics while serving as legislative
assistant for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (Democrat of
California) on judiciary issues. Levi helped Feinstein draft
campaign-finance legislation and secure passage of a bill
to ban on assault weapons.
“I really have a high regard for her
[Feinstein], so as a professional politician, I would say
I probably emulate her,” Levi said.
“I think it is very important for
women to be involved in politics,” Levi told USINFO.
“And it’s important for them to join together
in organizations with like-minded women who can support
them in that effort.
“It can be very difficult, when you
are one of a very few, so you really need a support base.”
Levi could have a long political career
ahead of her. When asked her age, Levi will admit only to
being “under 40.”
“I don’t feel that I’ve
accomplished enough at this point. I’m always sensitive
about my age because of that,” she explained. She
said that after completing her first year in the House of
Delegates, she might consider running again after completing
her four-year term.
“This is a lot of work!” she
acknowledged.
Jane Morse
USINFO Staff Writer
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