Sandra McCarthy Kucinich: Filling in the Gaps

By Carol Epstein

"The media is still a man's world. They don't know how to handle a woman who is politically astute."

-Sandra McCarthy Kucinich

In late summer of this year, the women of the West Shore Unitarian Church sent out their descriptive calendar of speakers for the "Morning Seminar" series. One notice in particular caught my eye:

"Sandra McCarthy Kucinich, Ombudsman to the Mayor of Cleveland, will explain her political and social role. She will share with us her involvement in feminist issues and tell us of her work in Greater Cleveland."'

Over the next few weeks, I asked people what they knew about this female Ombudsman working in

"I guess I'll just play out my stereotype.' Cleveland. I got a variety of responses, including raised eyebrows, laughter, and skeptical glances, followed by, "C'mon, Sandy doesn't do anything but follow Dennis around."'

We may believe that we know public figures very well. We make conclusions about their personalities, values, motivations and lifestyles based on what we hear and read in the news. It is very easy to analyze, idolize, criticize or dismiss public figures. Through visual and written images, the media creates an illusion of intimacy which, in turn, shapes our opinions about persons and groups, from Jimmy and Teddy to the Boat People and the IRA.

The media relentlessly strive to control our consciousness. We realize their power most overtly through the impact of television commercials. But the media also influence the so-called "objective” reporting of the news. A good example is their coverage of women who are married to politicians. The media gives us passive viewers the chance to mildly test our wits, in preparation, of course, for the really big stuff-that of analyzing the politically complex, male public officials.

With the exception of Eleanor Roosevelt and perhaps a few others, the majority of women married to politicians drift in and out of the camera's eye, stand ceremoniously adjacent to and slightly behind their husbands at important events, and occasionally embark on goodwill maneuvers. The media absolutely insist that the wife of a politican remain visible. She is not paid for what she does, because most

/

would object that "she doesn't do anything!" At the very least, the woman married to a politician gives up her privacy, possibly postpones a career, and must hostess at functions, maintain correspondence and, at all costs, look presentable. If she becomes more assertive or deviates from established norms of behavior, as did Martha Mitchell or Margaret Trudeau, the media usually interpret her actions in a purely personal way. She is off track, out of control, or simply acting on her emotions.

The media's coverage of Sandra McCarthy Kucinich is no different. Instead of informative journalism, we get trivialization of her in the form of sterotypes. Most often, Sandra explains, the media reinforce three familiar images of her: The Farrah Fawcett symbol; the "brains behind the man"; and the "cling-along”. “It is difficult for the media, that is the men covering the situation," Sandra maintains, "to ask me serious questions. They ask me, 'What is your home like? Does Dennis help around the house?' I try to explain that when I'm not in the office [at City Hall), I'm out in the community in the same capacity. But it's still beyond them. They still report that when I'm not available, I'm at home. For example, PM Magazine wanted to film a story of me. I suggested that they report my activities at Cleveland Women Working, etc. But you know what they wanted to do? Show me making cookies in my kitchen. I refused. They didn't know what to do, and I said, 'That's tough." In 1977, Mona Scott and Dennis Goulding of the television program Montage documented Sandra's activities, including a weeklong trip to Washington, D.C. This, she believes, has been the only earnest attempt to present her fairly.

When Sandra McCarthy married Dennis Kucinich in January 1977, she officially retained her maiden as well as her married name. She prefers to be addressed by her full name, but does not make an issue of it with the media.

After Dennis was clected Mayor, she faced a choice: continue teaching full-time and carry the responsibilities of the Mayor's wife, or create something new. She remembers that time: "I was initially going to stay in teaching, because I really enjoy young people. Then Dennis was elected Mayor, and he asked me what I would like to do. I don't handle things until the situation is there to handle. So we had never talked about it before. I said I thought I could help. I had no concept of what I could do as the Mayor's wife. I was too preoccupied with teaching and campaigning to think of what was ahead. So when it first hit me-all the expectations and all the things I would have to do~I realized that's two fulltime jobs. Something's got to give somewhere."

Hence the title "Ombudsman." Sandra is the first wife of a Cleveland mayor to open her own office at City Hall. People there responded with surprise. Carving out her own areas of interst, Sandra believed that she could influence the priorities of the City Administration via her self-made position. Her main focus has involved the beautification of city parks, the condition of which has deteriorated. This type of activity, of course, is the usual preoccupation of women who are married to politicians.

Other than the beautification projects, Sandra has been active in several important women's organizations. As a member of Cleveland Women Working, Sandra believes that the issue of downtown safety is critical for working women and those who live in the city. Although she was not asked to speak at the Take Back the Night march in August, she did attend the CWW Downtown Safety Day and believes that the reality of rape needs to be addressed. Sandra attends the CWW events, but her presence is rarely noted by the media. When asked about this oversight, spokeswoman Mary Jung of CWW emphasized that the primary focus of their events should be the issue, not the prominent people who participate in them. But she added that such an omission is consistent

with the media coverage Sandra receives: “Let's just say that her portrayal has been unfair and inaccurate."

Sandra asked to become a member of the Advisory Council of Women Together, an organization committed to helping battered women and their children gain more control over their lives. Director Beverly Webster stressed that Sandra has been a "key resource" for Women Together, making available information on housing laws and variances, sources of funding, etc.

Instrumental in the Displaced Homemakers' Program, Sandra also participates with other members on the Advisory Council of the Women's Programs, grouped under the name WomenFocus, at Cuyahoga Community College. Describing her as a "most intersted" member who has obviously done some reading on the subject, Director Roslyn Talerico said that Sandra has been "involved enough to know what happens to women."

When I asked Sandra what she felt to be the best direction for women, she promoted the passage of the ERA as .he next step toward social change. She insisted that this legislation will allow all women to have fuller lives: "I'm interested in all women and their roles. Women on welfare, pregnant teenagers, women who want to make a home for their husbands and children, and want that to be considered normal, too."

Sensing that Sandra was critical of the role of women's liberation in furthering the cause of women's rights, I asked for her comments. At the outset, she shirked the label "feminist," explaining that categorizing her beliefs only brings misunderstanding: "I do not like labels." She criticized the women's movement by equating it with the "sexual revolution," causing turmoil and chaos for young women who are pressured into pursuing a "liberated" sexual life. When it was clarified that the sexual revolution preceded the women's liberation movement and constituted a separate phenomenon in its values and goals, Sandra acknowledged that other forces in society, i.e., the lack of communication within the family and advertising which implies the advantages of sexual freedom, contribute to early sexual involvement among teenagers. Yet Sandra places some of the blame for the problem of sex role confusion and teenage pregnancy on feminism: "The

Photo by Janet Century women's movement has made it difficult for women in terms of sexual roles. It hasn't come around to educating young women to protect themselves, nor has it helped make a young girl strong enough in herself to say, 'No, I can't handle this [sex) emotionally."" In Sandra's view, feminists make young women feel, in essence, that "if you're not free you're not one of us." For her the problem of feminism lies in the translation of its teachings for young women. Because parenthood is a difficult task and peer pressure discourages standing up for personal needs, young women are out on a limb. They

(continued on page 13)

November, 1979/What She Wants/Page 7