PLATTSBURGH — In 1975, Janet Duprey was told a woman could not get elected to the Clinton County Legislature.
The friend who said that claimed “a woman can’t do the job” and urged Duprey’s husband to run for the open seat instead.
“By the time he left the house, you have to know I was going to run,” Duprey laughed as she recalled the story during the third annual Women in Local Politics forum at Clinton Community College, hosted by CCC’s Center For Governance and Cultural Affairs Committee on April 23.
‘IF SOME GUY CAN DO IT, I CAN DO IT’
Duprey was just 29 years old when that conversation took place, and later that year, running as a Republican, she went on to become the youngest woman elected to represent the county’s Area 7 district.
“I was young. I was clueless. I had no idea what I was getting into,” she said.
“But I just felt that if some guy can do it, I can do it. and I went from there.”
Though even after being elected — a feat she was told couldn’t be done — Duprey was not immediately welcomed in her new position.
The night of her swearing-in ceremony in 1976, she was told by a male counterpart they did not want her there and were going to get rid of her in two years.
Duprey, however, held onto the Area 7 seat until 1986 but had to endure a lot of “nasty” treatment early on. However, she was especially proud to have advocated for equal pay for women correction’s officers in the county during that time.
Following her legislator stint, she went on to become the county treasurer until 2006. Shortly after that, she was elected to the New York State Assembly, serving until her retirement in 2017.
In total, she ended her career with 41 years of public service.
“How’d that work for him?” she said, referring to the colleague who wanted to get rid of her.
VALUABLE INSIGHTS
As inspiring as Duprey’s stories about overcoming the challenges of being a woman in politics may be, they are not unique to her.
The forum, moderated by Mountain Lake PBS’s Thom Hallock, lasted about 90 minutes and gave Duprey and three more local women — Village of Champlain Mayor Janet McFetridge, Clinton County Legislator Patty Waldron and Town of Dannemora Supervisor Deborah Coryer — the opportunity to share and discuss similar experiences they have endured during their political careers.
Attendees had the opportunity to gain insights from these women leaders as they shared their experiences, challenges and triumphs in navigating the political landscape at the local level.
The forum also offered valuable perspectives on the importance of gender diversity and representation in local government.
SHOWING YOUR GRIT
Waldron, who was also a guest for last year’s forum, has been the only woman on the Clinton County Legislature for the better part of 10 years now.
She said for women, it’s important early on in their political careers to not be a “victim” and approach the job with the same viewpoint as anyone else.
“And that you are representing the district and you plan on plowing through and representing your district the best way that you know how,” Waldron, a Democrat who serves the county’s Area 6 district, said.
“Like I represent the people here and it has nothing to do with my gender.”
While Waldron called the nine men she works with on the legislature “wonderful,” she said over the years, she had to learn how to effectively communicate with them in a way they would listen.
“I think men will get away with what they can,” she said. “And so showing your grit and making it known that it wasn’t just something I was saying, like I actually mean it.”
“They’re wonderful men, but it takes a long time to get to know these fellows,” she continued.
“You are part of the group and they do listen to you and they do help you along, but many times, I don’t mind feeding an idea to them and letting them run with it … That seems to work sometimes. Overall, like I said, they’re wonderful people, but it is a hurdle that you have to cross. I think they understand you if you speak to them like their wife is speaking to them. For some reason, it’s a language they understand and they listen; otherwise, they’re not going to hear you.”
SUBTLE, BUT STILL THERE
McFetridge differs from Waldron in that they both serve on boards with a balanced ratio of men and women.
McFetridge, who also served as a village board trustee for six years before getting elected mayor in 2019, said when and if she is treated differently as a woman, it does not happen at her own village meetings but at ones where a gender balance is not as present.
“I find that when I go to meetings … either a county meeting or with some of the Town of Champlain people or the other towns or the Village of Rouses Point, the behavior is subtle, but it’s still there,” McFetridge said.
“It’s kind of like being somewhat ignored or not being asked for your opinion or not being asked to weigh-in on something. Even inappropriate jokes and comments that probably shouldn’t be said. I still see that — it’s changed — but I still see that.”
McFetridge also found she needed to change her naturally quiet demeanor in order to be heard by others in the room who were louder than her.
“I’d rather be able to sit back and say ‘well, did you consider this idea?’ and say it kind of quietly, but if I do that they just don’t even respond, so it has changed my behavior a little bit.”
PROVE THEM WRONG
Coryer, a retired Chief Master Sergeant for the U.S. Air Force, joined the Dannemora Town Board as a councilor in 2008 for four years. From there, she served as the town clerk and tax collector for 10 years before getting elected as supervisor in 2022.
Currently, Coryer is the only woman on her board and has leaned on her military experience to help navigate that.
“I’ve had two different people that I’ve worked with who just didn’t think I knew anything about anything and so you just have to prove them wrong, and if you have to do it in public, then it’s only done once,” she said.
“But overall, I haven’t really had to deal with that as much and I think because I have a lot of experience in a male atmosphere.”
Answering a question about what advice she would give women who would want to run for politics, Coryer said “learn as much as you can about what it involves.”
“If you want to run for a town seat or village seat to start out with, learning what’s going to be expected of you, learn as much as you can about the area that you’re going to be representing. and then if you haven’t been scared away by that, then absolutely jump in feet first and give it all you can.”
“Start by attending board meetings, get a little involved,” McFetridge added.
“You can be on a planning board or zoning board or run for school board. So there are other ways you can start to see how the process works. We need women, we need women in this. They collaborate well. They’re problem solvers.”