What women should know about our old boss, Mitt Romney.
By: Cindy Gillespie From: BlogHer
Frankly, we were completely, totally, absolutely fed up. That’s what we told a reporter from the Milwaukee Sentinel today who asked us why a group of female executives are traveling the country telling women about our former boss Mitt Romney. We were frustrated that so many women were getting a picture of Mitt from the media and negative ads that just doesn't match up with the man we all know and worked with in Salt Lake and Massachusetts.
We’re smart women; we know it’s a big country; and we know we’re only a few voices. But we also know we have insights and stories that women voters want to hear before they make up their minds – so we decided to hit the road and tell as many women as we can what Mitt Romney is really like from the perspective of the women who worked with him every day.
Amazingly, most women don’t know that Mitt had women at his side helping him turn around the Olympics in Salt Lake and fix the economy in Massachusetts. It doesn’t surprise me because I know how Mitt puts together his team. He hires the strongest talent he can find, so naturally he ends up with a lot of women. Mitt says he hires people who will “go through walls” to get the job done; the women who have worked with him over the years definitely fit that description. I worked with him for nine years and can tell you that my colleagues in Salt Lake and Massachusetts are as talented and incredible as any group of women in America.
Mitt was recognized every year he was Governor for having more women in Cabinet and senior positions than any other Governor in the country. Women made up half Mitt’s cabinet. Women were at the heart of the economic team he put together to create jobs, cut red-tape and streamline regulations and permitting. He personally chose and campaigned for his Lt. Governor – Kerry Healey – a hard-working, gracious, accomplished woman. His Chief of Staff, Beth Myers, was at the table with him giving advice and counsel throughout his administration – and she has continued to do that in the years since, as campaign manager for his 2008 campaign and as senior strategist in the campaign this time.
I called a number of my old colleagues from the Olympics and Massachusetts to see if they would be willing to spend the next few weeks on the road, telling the stories of their time working with Mitt. Everyone said yes. No matter what our political affiliation - Republican, Democrat, or Independent – we’ve all seen first-hand how Mitt leads, we've seen how he makes decisions, we've seen how he can fix huge problems, we’ve seen how he treats women with respect and as true equal colleagues in the workplace, and we've seen how he cares.
We've had times when Mitt reached out and helped us through a tough time personally, when he challenged us to grow professionally, when he believed in us and backed us. We've laughed with him - a lot, debated and argued, watched his face light up when Ann Romney walks in a room. He's been there for our weddings and he's been there to comfort us and grieve with us in times of personal loss. We've watched him "go through walls" to do what he's promised. Mitt has to fix anything that's broken, and he just won't stop until the job is done.
Read More: What women should know about our old boss, Mitt Romney.
We’re smart women; we know it’s a big country; and we know we’re only a few voices. But we also know we have insights and stories that women voters want to hear before they make up their minds – so we decided to hit the road and tell as many women as we can what Mitt Romney is really like from the perspective of the women who worked with him every day.
Amazingly, most women don’t know that Mitt had women at his side helping him turn around the Olympics in Salt Lake and fix the economy in Massachusetts. It doesn’t surprise me because I know how Mitt puts together his team. He hires the strongest talent he can find, so naturally he ends up with a lot of women. Mitt says he hires people who will “go through walls” to get the job done; the women who have worked with him over the years definitely fit that description. I worked with him for nine years and can tell you that my colleagues in Salt Lake and Massachusetts are as talented and incredible as any group of women in America.
Mitt was recognized every year he was Governor for having more women in Cabinet and senior positions than any other Governor in the country. Women made up half Mitt’s cabinet. Women were at the heart of the economic team he put together to create jobs, cut red-tape and streamline regulations and permitting. He personally chose and campaigned for his Lt. Governor – Kerry Healey – a hard-working, gracious, accomplished woman. His Chief of Staff, Beth Myers, was at the table with him giving advice and counsel throughout his administration – and she has continued to do that in the years since, as campaign manager for his 2008 campaign and as senior strategist in the campaign this time.
I called a number of my old colleagues from the Olympics and Massachusetts to see if they would be willing to spend the next few weeks on the road, telling the stories of their time working with Mitt. Everyone said yes. No matter what our political affiliation - Republican, Democrat, or Independent – we’ve all seen first-hand how Mitt leads, we've seen how he makes decisions, we've seen how he can fix huge problems, we’ve seen how he treats women with respect and as true equal colleagues in the workplace, and we've seen how he cares.
We've had times when Mitt reached out and helped us through a tough time personally, when he challenged us to grow professionally, when he believed in us and backed us. We've laughed with him - a lot, debated and argued, watched his face light up when Ann Romney walks in a room. He's been there for our weddings and he's been there to comfort us and grieve with us in times of personal loss. We've watched him "go through walls" to do what he's promised. Mitt has to fix anything that's broken, and he just won't stop until the job is done.
Read More: What women should know about our old boss, Mitt Romney.
