It’s a woman’s world in Texas

Charlottesville Daily Progress
Published: April 12, 2008

Grrrls rule.
Hillary Clinton might or might not become president, but in the small Panhandle city of McLean, Texas, women already run just about everything in sight — in both the public and private sectors.
A woman mayor leads five women aldermen (yes, aldermen).
The city secretary, justice of the peace and postmaster (yes, master) also are women.
Women manage the bank, the grocery store, the feed store and the nursing home.
And although the school superintendent is a man, the city’s only school principal is a woman.
Postmaster Diane Manuel lists some reasons for the girl power:
“We have people skills.”
And — tongue in cheek — “we’re a lot better to look at than most guys.”
And, “[we’re] not as cocky” as men.
And, adds Alderman Lynn Reeves, “If we see anything needs to be done, we do it.”
That’s what put them in power in the first place. The women looked around at the sad state of affairs in their small city, and decided to do something about it. Inspections had lapsed on some of the municipal vehicles, employee evaluations had been neglected and — physically as well as literally — McLean was being taken over by weeds.
The women leaders aren’t afraid to ask questions about something they don’t understand so that they can make educated decisions, and they are more likely than the city’s former male
leaders to run government by the book, said Chet Boler, former public works director.
Not all male employees are quite so complimentary. “I can’t give you my opinion because they’d fire me if I answered your questions,” said Allen Mixon, who oversees garbage collection.
Alderman Reeves’ husband first had doubts about women filling the city’s main leadership roles. Now he says his only complaint is that he doesn’t see his wife often enough.
As for Hillary Clinton?
He’s wondering if she might make an early announcement about her Cabinet.
“If they were all female,” Bill Reeves said, “I’d vote for her.”

One bad turn ...

Some people never learn.
Police in Melville, N.Y., have jailed a man they say tried to pass off a bogus $50 bill … to pay his bail on a traffic charge.
Police say the man was spotted allegedly making an illegal turn.
And that’s not all; when they ran his license, they found it had been suspended.
Then came the fake $50, they say.