More women are 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 them together for conversations about public service across the political spectrum in our Women In Government series.
In this installment, we hear from Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey (D) and Kentucky State Representative Stephanie Dietz (R-Covington). Both are serving their first term in elected office.
McGuffey served in the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office for over three decades before being elected the county's first woman sheriff in 2020, taking office in 2021. She left the department in 2017 after a demotion, claiming officers complained of her leadership due to her gender and sexuality.
Dietz is a family law attorney and certified family law mediator; she has practiced law for 27 years. Before winning election to the Kentucky House of Representatives in 2022, she lost a bid for Kenton County Family Court judge in 2014. Dietz represents the state's 65th District seat, which was redrawn right before the election.
Here, McGuffey and Dietz talk about the life experiences that led them into public service, and about being taken seriously as women in leadership.
RELATED: Women In Government: A conversation between Stacey DeGraffenreid and Alicia Reece
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
STEPHANIE DIETZ: I'm Stephanie Dietz, I am Kentucky State Representative for the 65th District, which includes a majority of Covington, Kentucky, right across the river, and this is my first term in office. I just finished my first session and starting to work on interim issues. I ran for this office because the opportunity presented itself with some redistricting, and then fairly organically from the nature of being a family law attorney and understanding what I think are the needs of the families in my district, I decided to run for the seat and (I'm) the first woman to hold the seat in 98 years.
CHARMAINE MCGUFFEY: Wow. Stephanie, it's great to meet you. Charmaine McGuffey, here, Sheriff of Hamilton County, and I see a lot of similarities in you and I because it's our first term in office; mine as well. I'm doing a four year term. I'm two and a half years in. I was a little older when I ran for office — I say it that way, 'older' — and I also felt like I was, well, just called to do this at this point in my life.
I saw some actions as the major of the jail that told me men weren't being held accountable for bad behavior, certain men in our department, and the administration was not holding them accountable, and so I began to complain. Well, I was told to stand down and go with the flow. And because I didn't, I was fired by the sheriff, and then decided then that it was time for me to run for his seat. And that's what I did because I knew that we needed someone in there to hold people accountable in our agency, and just really across the board.
DIETZ: When we were chatting a little bit when we first got here, one of the things I wanted to talk to you about — and I said I wasn't going to ask but I am because you just mentioned it — things weren't so great in that office when you went into it. And what I read about you is that you went in and made policy changes, and made some big improvements, and so my question really is: How was that received — one by the men in the office; and then by the women in the office as well?
MCGUFFEY: In this business of wearing the uniform, you do encounter a lot more men than you do women. I will tell you that the tenured men and women that wear the uniform and work in that arena that I worked with inside that jail, they understand and they know that the things that I was talking about were real, and those things needed to be remedied. So really, across the board, I actually got support. It was administration that I fought against — those men who were holding very high offices: the chief deputy, that sheriff, the men that were in internal affairs, majors and so forth — and I had to speak the truth, and there were a lot of people that knew that was the truth.
But the thing I'll say is, a lot of people don't want to put their reputations on the line. You don't want to put your job on the line to complain about wrongdoing sometimes because it, well — just what happened to me, you could be fired.
DIETZ: Had you always thought that you would end up in some sort of public office? Or how did this happen for you?
MCGUFFEY: Yes, I knew that I would work in this public arena. I wanted to encounter people, I wanted to make things better for the men and women who find themselves in bad situations. And I think you do that, too, Stephanie. You've worked in the courts for many years...
DIETZ: Yeah, I've been a family law attorney for almost 30 years, and have been successful, I think, in trying to implement other ways that families can resolve their issues. One was through collaborative family law, and we have a very strong group in Northern Kentucky. I've actually filed legislation (on) that in the House. That was one of the first pieces of legislation I filed. I'm hoping that in next session we can do something more with that, but my goal has always been to help families and de-escalate what is typically [a] very emotionally charged situation for families.
So again, very similar to what you encounter; not quite to that that level. And I should have started by saying thank you for your service and everything you do because you and others walk into those dangerous situations, and I've always said with domestic cases, those are dangerous situations when you're called on those.
RELATED: Women In Government: A conversation between Kristie Dukes Davis and Victoria Parks
MCGUFFEY: Right, and they are for court personnel, as well. And man, when people are bringing those issues to the judge, particularly those domestic issues, it's hot sometimes.
DIETZ: Right. Well, I'm curious, have you ever been the only woman in the room when decisions were being made?
MCGUFFEY: Oh, yes, yes. I was the first woman on the command staff of the sheriff's office. So, I was the lone woman in the room, and it makes a difference, I think. I think when you're a woman in the room, it changes the conversation.
Of course, I'm a woman, just like you, who speaks their mind, and I spoke up. There were times when I think some of the men in the room didn't really appreciate some of the things I had to say, but when you're passionate about your job, and you think you're right ... I mean, you've been in those arenas, I'm sure?
DIETZ: Right. As a young female attorney, going back 30 years, I'm appreciative of the women that came before me, and I have a long list of those in Northern Kentucky that fought that fight. It's still male-dominated. And, now, being in the Statehouse, you look around and there are a lot of men still in those leadership positions. I think we're well represented as women in the House, but those leadership positions are still held by men and that's where I think that we still have some room to grow — in our leadership in our Statehouse. And it's not a criticism against the men that are there, it's just that we have not risen to that level as speaker or president of the Senate or any of those yet, in Kentucky.
MCGUFFEY: Do you see that happening in the near future?
DIETZ: I would like to say yes, but given the political environment that we're in right now ... It's regions sometimes where you have the rule against the more suburban areas, and I'm representative of a suburban area. So sometimes there's that pull across the state. I would like to say yes, but I don't know that it's as easy of a question when we're looking at the dynamics of where we live in Northern Kentucky. I hope that we will see more females in Kentucky rise to leadership positions in our government.
MCGUFFEY: What life and educational experience prepared you most, do you think, for being an elected official?
DIETZ: We are all cumulative of all of our life experiences. My dad was in the Army. I say that because I, you know, there was no, 'Oh, honey, it's going to be OK.' It was kind of like, 'Put your big girl pants on and let's go.' So — I wasn't brought up that way — it was pretty tough; tough love. And just going through school and the experience of going through law school, which isn't easy, and then having my own practice.
I have two children that are mini adults. But we — my husband's an attorney — we raised them with both of us still being able to work, so I understand what that means for families with that dynamic of 'Who's going to be with the kids,' and 'What are we paying for daycare?' Which is a huge problem right now, I know, that we're looking at in Kentucky, is affordable daycare.
So I understand how that affects women, when you're giving up maybe your career for a short time or cutting back on your career. I think all of that; plus, I have been very active in our legal community. I'm presently president of our bar association, but again, always just trying to make things better, and how do we make it better? I think all of those helped me get to where I'm at, and I'm hoping that makes a difference in Frankfort.
MCGUFFEY: Right. Did you experience any barriers? There are barriers that prevent women from running for office, and sometimes those barriers can be overcome. What was your experience?
DIETZ: I don't know that I had any barriers. I did reach out to a couple of men, and said, 'What do you think of this?' And some were men that had held the position and were also attorneys, so I was looking at how do you have that balance? I was told by two men, 'You can't do this.' I don't think they meant because you're a woman. It's like, I don't think you're going to be able to manage your practice and handle our legislature, which is part-time but really full-time, and manage two careers.
As soon as somebody tells me I can't do something, that's the best way to get me to do something, so I think I've managed pretty well. But I don't know that I had any barriers to running other than I think people saying, 'I don't know that you can do it.'
RELATED: Women In Government: A conversation between Liz Keating and Denise Driehaus
I am curious where you see yourself going after you are finished meeting all of your goals in this job?
MCGUFFEY: It's hard to answer that in a concise way. I will say that I'm going to run again. After that, I'm going to assess where I am and how much success I've had; try to make sure that the things I wanted to accomplish are well done, and pretty much set in that foundation that I sought to build. Then from there, I, well ... my wife, Christine, has asked me to promise to travel. So there's that.
But, I'll always stay involved because I enjoy people, and I like to grow programs. I like to teach, I like to talk. I'm sure I'll be doing something that involves me doing what I'm doing right now, which is talking, trying to influence people.
Stephanie, I really appreciate talking to you and learning about what you've been doing and who you are. I want to stay in touch. Thank you very much. I've really enjoyed it.
DIETZ: Likewise, it's a great conversation. I loved doing the research on you and all of your accomplishments. I think Hamilton County is lucky to have you and I wish you all the best. Thank you for the conversation today.
MCGUFFEY: And Kentucky's lucky to have you.
UNISON: Thank you
