Contrary to national and international trends, women are leading the political scene in La Plata County.

Balanced participation and power sharing between men and women is an international goal, set by the United Nations. Most countries lag behind. But at the municipal level, about 30.5% of leaders are women, according to a 2021 study by the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics.

In La Plata County, about 68% of elected county, city and town board positions are held by women. And all three municipal mayors and the chair of the Board of County Commissioners are women.

“I did hear rumblings in the town like, ‘Well, women are taking over,’” said Ashleigh Tarkington, Bayfield mayor. “It wasn’t a negative thing, but it was an obvious thing to them. I think everyone was half-joking.”

Women have been making historic strides into high-level political positions. In 2020, Kamala Harris became the first woman and first woman of color to become vice president.

This year, Deb Haaland became the first Native American to serve in a presidential Cabinet. On Tuesday, Kathy Hochul started her tenure as the first female governor of New York.

But in many ways, the glass ceiling still exists.

This year, women make up 52% of the Colorado House of Representatives. But the House has achieved gender parity for only about three years since 1975, according to the Rutgers study.

Colorado never has had a female governor or female U.S. senator. Nationwide, only nine states have female governors in 2021.

Worldwide, 119 countries never have had a female leader. At the current rate, gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be reached for 130 years, according to the United Nations.

Measuring the number of men and women is just one way to look at diversity and equality in politics, and it doesn’t account for other gender identities.

But it does reveal an opportunity for improvement, said Marsha Porter-Norton, chairwoman of the La Plata County Board of County Commissioners.

“I think we need more women, more young people, more people of color,” Porter-Norton said. “We need to have our political official cadre look like our society.”

The four leaders in La Plata County said they got into local leadership, in part, because of a long history of community service.

Porter-Norton said she had “no choice” but to be involved in her community. Her parents were heavily involved in the farming community, her grandfather was a state senator and dinner conversations revolved around current news and issues. Young Porter-Norton did her fair share of cleaning at the grange hall, she said.

Later, she realized her professional skill set in nonprofits and consulting was well-suited to the county commission. She ran, and won the seat after a close race in 2020.

For Ignacio Mayor Stella Cox, community involvement started with the church. Cox remembered going with her family to help other church members harvest melons and corn or butcher a lamb.

Her work in the tribal court and with the Southern Ute Police Department prepared her for a seat on the town board, said Cox, who is of Navajo and Spanish descent.

Tarkington grew up volunteering. She was one of a few local female athletic trainers, and at 23, she bought a bar, the Billy Goat Saloon in Gem Village.

“I’ve always been in a career where it was cutting edge to be a woman,” Tarkington said.

Kim Baxter, Durango mayor, cited her family’s community spirit. Her grandfather was chief of police, and her mother urged her to run for class president or club leadership positions.

“My parents were very kind, generous and supportive. They created very independent children,” Baxter said. “I really valued that and appreciated that. It made me strong enough to stand up for what I believe in.”

Cox jumped into the political fray in the early 2010s after seeing multiple resignations on the Ignacio Town Board. She wanted to learn for herself what was going on – and it couldn’t be that bad, she recalled.

“I wanted to make a difference,” she said.

The local leaders said they took the leap into elected positions because they saw issues and wanted to help find solutions.

Tarkington, Porter-Norton and Baxter stepped into their elected seats during the COVID-19 pandemic, amid heightened tension concerning public health policies, economic instability and social reform protests.

Each has her way of staying centered during a challenge. Baxter turns to skiing and mountain biking; Cox, to her church community.

“You may have had a great day, or you may have had a terrible day, but the sun rises every day, and you just need to be thankful for everything,” Cox said. “Things happen for a reason and whatever the reason is, what did you learn from it? How can you make it better?”

Tarkington spends time with a close group of female friends or playing golf.

“I’m like nothing gets in the way of my golfing,” she said. “I play with a group of guys, and every Thursday, I just want to beat all the boys.”

Porter-Norton walks Durango’s trails when she needs to clear her mind or turns to a quote attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt: “You must do the things you think you cannot do.”

“I’ve had that on my bulletin board for 30 years,” she said. “It doesn’t mean you do it perfectly and be successful, but that’s my one mantra.”

The leaders said their roles were about more than being a woman – they focused on being the best public servants possible.

“Yes, I’m a woman in politics, but what I strive for is to be a good public servant,” Porter-Norton said. “I think that needs to be gender neutral. I strive to do the best job I can. So far, so good.”

But, sometimes, being a woman has played a role. Tarkington recalled a time when a bank teller assumed she was “running errands for her boss,” she said.

“I was like, ‘What era are we in?’” she said. “I think it is changing, but a little of it is still out there.”

Women seemed to be hesitant to run for elected positions, she said.

“I think there’s a lot of hesitation, I think women feel they’re going to be ridiculed, especially in a town like Bayfield, where there’s been a longstanding old boys club,” Tarkington said. “I think it’s really refreshing to find women stepping into these leadership roles.”

Baxter is aiming for the day when everyone has the same opportunities, so decisions come down to who is most qualified, she said.

“I would love there to be a day when the person who is the right person for a job is the one that gets it, independent of their gender, color, any of that,” she said. “The corollary to that is that all of the women, girls, people of color have had the opportunity to have those skills.”

Porter-Norton said she feels positive about the leaders of the future.

“I think our future looks bright in that area. We have a lot of work to do,” she said. “I see that as being part of my job, to listen and see what different groups need and want. I can be responsive to that.”

smullane@durangoherald.com