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Women In Government: A conversation between Kristie Dukes Davis and Victoria Parks

Kristie Dukes Davis (left) and Victoria Parks.
Becca Costello
/
WVXU
Kristie Dukes Davis (left) and Victoria Parks.

Women are increasingly running for and winning elected office in the Tri-State. Hamilton County specifically has the most women in elected offices than any other of Ohio's 88 counties, with women holding seats in 8 of 11 offices. Women also make up half of the judicial seats in the county.

WVXU is bringing some of these power leaders together for conversations about public service across the political spectrum in our Women In Government series.

Listen to the full conversation between Davis and Parks
In it, they talk about why more women don't enter politics, who inspired them to get involved in their communities and more.
Kristie Dukes Davis (left) and Victoria Parks.

In this installment, we hear from Cincinnati Council Member Victoria Parks and Springfield Township Trustee Kristie Dukes Davis.

Parks served the rest of late Hamilton County commissioner Todd Portune's term after he retired in December 2019, previously serving as his chief of staff since 2016.

During that year in office, she was part of the county's first-ever all-female Board of County Commissioners. She won a seat on Cincinnati City Council in 2021, beginning her term in January 2022. Parks introduced breastfeeding status to the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance and recently hosted a Girls in Government event at City Hall.

Davis was elected to the Springfield Township Board of Trustees in 2019 and currently serves as chairman of the board. She worked in Hamilton County government for 31 years, including as chief of mediation services for Hamilton County Juvenile Court.

She is a former vice chair of the Hamilton County Republican Party. Davis is also an executive board member at Linden Grove School, a school for autistic children, and serves as the chair of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee for the school.

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In January, Gov. Mike DeWine appointed her to serve as a board member for the Ohio Arts Council.

Below, Davis and Parks talk about why more women don't enter politics, who inspired them to get involved in their communities and more. They start off with telling us a little about their background in politics.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

KRISTIE DUKES DAVIS: I've served as a trustee since 2020. Prior to my serving as a trustee, I was not an elected official. I've worked in Hamilton County government for 31 years. My last day is Friday, April 28. I'll be retiring (from Hamilton County) after 31 years of service.

I've been a public servant my whole life. What got me into politics? I think I've always been a public servant. In the fourth grade, I remember, I was my student council representative from my neighborhood (Lincoln Heights). So I've always been a public servant — I don't know why or how, it's just in me.

Victoria Parks during her swearing-in ceremony for Cincinnati City Council at Washington Park. Tuesday, January 4th, 2022.
Jason Whitman
/
WVXU
Victoria Parks during her swearing-in ceremony for Cincinnati City Council at Washington Park. Tuesday, January 4th, 2022.

VICTORIA PARKS: I believe I've always been in politics — never upfront, this is the very first time I've been elected — but I am a child of the Civil Rights (Movement), and because my parents worked in community, worked during the Civil Rights era, and they would take me with them to register people. And so I think in our family, that service was just a way of life. It was a natural thing for me to fold into.

DAVIS: I want to know, since you were on the Hamilton County Board of Commission — and I think under your term, they were all three female county commissioners — so, what was it like to work with all female colleagues versus now, you're on Cincinnati City Council and you have male counterparts?

PARKS: Well, I was the county commissioner exactly when COVID-19 hit, and so we had a different kind of crises. There were things that we had to deal with that the other commissioners didn't have to. Denise Driehaus was the president, and she just lead us in a common sense, straight forward way to tackle the challenges that we faced during this pandemic. I believe that instead of competing with one another, or wanting to outshine the other, that we just wanted to get the job done, and to protect our community. It was truly a wonderful thing for me — I had never experienced anything like that — and I often say that that year in that seat, was the first time in my working life that diversity was truly a superpower.

DAVIS: That's wonderful.

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PARKS: Have you ever been the only woman in the room when decisions are being made, and what was that like?

DAVIS: All the time. If you're familiar with the makeup of the Springfield Township Board of Trustees, I'm the only female trustee. My two counterparts are males. And in all fairness, my colleagues are just tremendous. I can't really say anything bad about my colleagues because they're very supportive. But sometimes, and not just speaking specifically about my colleagues on the board, but just in the room with men in general, at any table, I have felt invisible. I felt like my opinion didn't matter. Men, in my experience, oftentimes kind of over-talk a woman. I've found that I've had to kind of interject my voice and interject my position in the room. It's something that I feel you have to — I have to — face constantly on a daily basis, but I've learned better throughout the years how to interject myself. I have a right to be at the table, and my voice is just as — equally as — valuable as the men's voice in the room. Do you think the expectations for women in office are different than for men in office?

PARKS: Yes, I do. It has been my experience, I think that many people are surprised when women are smart and what might be termed as aggressive. Women who are powerful are many times labeled things that are unattractive and undeserved. Whereas with the man, it is "powerful;" it is "sexy;" it is "He's working it." We see this all of the time. A power broker like Nancy Pelosi, she is insulted because of her power.

DAVIS: I totally agree.

PARKS: Why do you think that more women do not run for office? What barriers do you think prevent that?

Woman in blue suit stands in front of Springfield Township administration building
Courtesy
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Kristie Dukes Davis
Kristie Dukes Davis was elected to the Springfield Township Board of Trustees in 2019 and currently serves as chairman of the board.

DAVIS: I think more women don't run for office because of the incivility that exist in politics. I believe women have priorities inside the home and at work. When you talk about work-life balance, that's one thing, and then you throw in work-life-politics, that's like you're just juggling all kinds of balls in the air. Then, for a woman to be thrust into that arena when they have ... other priorities, and to have to deal with incivility, I think that's a lot for anyone to have to burden.

Another reason I think that women don't run for office is that they don't know how to start. I'm just making a blanket statement. There's connections that you have to make. There's fundraising that you have to do. Men have the network of each other, and they have the financial resources to support each other. Whereas I can't think of too many networks of women that support other women financially. I do know there's great groups out there, (like) the Matriots and the Jo Ann Davidson Leadership Institute, that are actively recruiting women and supporting and encouraging women to run for elected office. I think that's just spectacular that women now have networks to lean on and to seek guidance from, versus years ago, I don't know if those types of organizations existed for women. So I think those are a few of the barriers and reasons why women don't run for office.

PARKS: I agree. I couldn't agree more.

DAVIS: What surprised you most during your first term in office, either as a commissioner or as a City Council member?

PARKS: The division between the city and the county. I knew that it existed but it really came to light when I was the commissioner, and I just I couldn't see a reason for it. And really, it was part of the reason why I decided to run for City Council. The city of Cincinnati is in Hamilton County, and we're just all better when we work together.

I'd like to know, who is a woman in government you looked up to as a little girl or as a young woman?

DAVIS: My grandmother raised me, although she's not a woman in government, she ran our household like a government agency. She encouraged us to always be mindful of other thoughts, other modes of thought. She was a very strong person. She was a saver. She taught us to be open to diverse people; and she was just everything. So, she's not a government official, a government leader, but in my eyes, she was everything.

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Specifically a government person? I think I was always most impressed by Shirley Chisholm. Shirley Chisholm was a dynamo. She was a dynamo. When she said, "I'm going to run for president because somebody has to," that's just the fire inside of her that I see that I want more women to have. I want more women to have that thought process of "Why not? Why not do it?" Get out there and do it, and don't let anybody say no. Don't let anybody stop you, just do it. I just think Shirley Chisholm was phenomenal.

PARKS: I do too. She was who I've looked up to. Also, Geraldine Ferraro knocked my socks off.

DAVIS: Yeah. She was the first female vice presidential candidate, is that correct?

PARKS: Yes.

It's been wonderful spending time with you and having this conversation. Thank you for letting me peep into your political mind.

DAVIS: Thank you. Likewise.

Local Government Reporter with a particular focus on Cincinnati; experienced journalist in public radio and television throughout the Midwest. Enthusiastic about: civic engagement, public libraries, and urban planning.
Senior Editor and reporter at WVXU with more than 20 years experience in public radio; formerly news and public affairs producer with WMUB. Would really like to meet your dog.