'Herzonner?' Virginia Fields Candidacy for NYC Mayor Aiming To Make History at City Hall

• Originally published in The New York Sun March 23, 2005 Copyright 2005 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC

By JULIA LEVY, Staff Reporter of the Sun

Women have served as members of Congress, but New York City has never had a female mayor. C. Virginia Fields, the only woman in this year's mayoral race, says it's time for that to change.

"We've never had a woman as mayor, yet women represent more than half of the population," she said. "Sure, we are ready for a woman mayor."

Ms. Fields, the Manhattan borough president, says she will use her perspective as a woman in politics to appeal to constituents.

She plans to address health care, education, economic development, and housing, some of the issues that Ms. Fields said are important to women. She will also tell voters about her more "inclusive" approach to governing and reach out specifically to women voters and donors. Today, Ms. Fields will host an event at Baruch College honoring accomplished women in politics, religion, and education.

Political scientists said they are unsure if the "woman factor" will give Ms. Fields a boost.

The senior scholar at Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics, Susan Carroll, said nationally, female voters are more mobilized than male voters. That holds true in New York City, where 1.7 million men are registered to vote, compared to 2.3 million women. Ms. Carroll said when women are running for elected office, women tend to get even more politically involved and give more money, particularly when the candidate is a Democrat.

But, she said, there is also evidence that voters are less likely to vote women into top executive spots than they are to vote them into legislative bodies.

"The mayor of New York City is a tough race for a woman," she said. "It's a major executive position."

A City College political science professor, Joyce Gelb, said reaching out to women's groups has aided other female politicians, including Senator Clinton, and could be "very, very helpful" to Ms. Fields.

This week, Ms. Fields will meet with a group representing black women in cinema and another representing black women in politics. At the end of the month, the former governor of New Hampshire and the national campaign chairwoman of Kerry-Edwards 2004, Jeanne Shaheen, will speak at a "Women for Fields" fund-raising breakfast.

Ms. Fields has also started feeling out national groups, including Emily's List and the Women's Campaign Fund.

A politics professor at New York University, Anna Harvey, said if she were advising Ms. Fields, she would suggest not focusing on women's issues, or any issues, because what matters more in municipal elections is "constituency service" and a demonstrated track record of service. She said she would only recommend talking about the issues when it will help voters differentiate her from the current mayor.

While the experts say there is little national evidence that women are more likely to vote for women candidates, early polling is telling a different story here in New York.

The latest Quinnipiac University poll found that if the Democratic primary were held now, Ms. Fields would receive 10% of the male vote and 16% of the female vote. Her three male opponents in the Democratic primary, on the other hand, would find more support among men than women.

Former top female politicians say they're unconvinced that being a woman could help Ms. Fields.

"I think the advantage is that there are some women who feel very strongly that there ought to be a woman as mayor," the only woman ever elected New York City comptroller, Elizabeth Holtzman, said. "There are other people who feel that a tough executive job like that is not a job for a woman. They'll hold a woman to a much higher standard."

The former Manhattan borough president, Ruth Messinger, who ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1997, said, "It will interest and attract some women, but it's not likely to be a major factor in a primary where there are a lot of different issues.... It was my experience that that was not the basis on which most people made their decision. It could be different this time, but I think my experience pretty much will hold true."

She said when she was running for mayor, one of her consultants warned her not to play up the fact that she was a woman candidate because the one thing voters knew about her was that she was female.

"I think that is sage advice," Ms. Messinger said. "You should use your limited time to tell people all the things about you that they do not know. The public, in general, still has a certain level of anxiety or antipathy toward the idea of women in the top job."

A fellow at the Manhattan Institute, Heather Mac Donald, was on the same page.

"I personally could not care less what the gender is of a mayoral candidate," she said. "I think it would be a mistake and a shame to play up her gender. That takes us away from equality by suggesting that there is a unique female perspective on issues. If you argue that, you have to argue that there is a certain male perspective on issues."

She said the same goes for race.