Engendering controversy

Friday's editorial criticizes Liz Gilland for making a comment that, instead of promoting gender equality in Horry County government, likely will serve to hinder it.

The Sun News has long encouraged local leaders to follow the established good-governance practice of conducting a search outside the county's borders for high level vacancies.

In that light, we applauded Horry County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland's decision to support such a search to find the next county administrator - especially given her own previous statements that highly qualified candidates for the job are already at work in Horry County government.

Our applause, however, came to an abrupt end with her shocking comment that "As far as I'm concerned I would not vote for a woman. From experience, I've seen the difficulty a woman has with a council of all men and how difficult it is to chair a council of all men."

Gilland has since recanted the first part of her statement, acknowledging the boneheadedness of it and saying that she plans to vote for the ablest candidate for county administrator, be it a man or a woman. But she stands by the latter assertion that the county has a long way to come in its treatment of women.

"Is there gender equality? Absolutely not. Am I in favor it? If I didn't believe in strong women in power, I wouldn't be where I am."

Gilland said she was referring to the turmoil surrounding former county administrator Linda Angus, whom the council fired after what Gilland described as a year of anguish. Her ill-advised comment, she said, was a blurted-out reaction to an emotional flashback to memories of that time. And the frustrations that prompted it, she said, remain valid today.

"Some men think that women have no business being in a place of authority over men, and I don't think you can change that," Gilland said.

Serving on a council with 11 men, in a county where only eight of 34 department heads are women, in a state where very few women sit in the state legislature and none currently hold statewide office, Gilland's frustrations are reasonable. Stating that she would not vote for a woman, however, is absolutely unreasonable, even backward. It seems almost certain to hang over the search process, applying unnecessary pressure to the firm conducting the search and the council as it selects a candidate.

Gilland might have been a perfect person to lead a frank - and according to her, much-needed - discussion on gender politics in Horry County. But the path to overcome the stereotypes she is decrying lies in supporting more women to help her break up the boys club, rather than implying that no other woman is up for the task.

Gilland has since recanted the first part of her statement, acknowledging the boneheadedness of it and saying that she plans to vote for the ablest candidate for county administrator, be it a man or a woman. But she stands by the latter assertion that the county has a long way to come in its treatment of women.

"Is there gender equality? Absolutely not. Am I in favor it? If I didn't believe in strong women in power, I wouldn't be where I am."

Gilland said she was referring to the turmoil surrounding former county administrator Linda Angus, whom the council fired after what Gilland described as a year of anguish. Her ill-advised comment, she said, was a blurted-out reaction to an emotional flashback to memories of that time. And the frustrations that prompted it, she said, remain valid today.

"Some men think that women have no business being in a place of authority over men, and I don't think you can change that," Gilland said.

Serving on a council with 11 men, in a county where only eight of 34 department heads are women, in a state where very few women sit in the state legislature and none currently hold statewide office, Gilland's frustrations are reasonable. Stating that she would not vote for a woman, however, is absolutely unreasonable, even backward. It seems almost certain to hang over the search process, applying unnecessary pressure to the firm conducting the search and the council as it selects a candidate.

Gilland might have been a perfect person to lead a frank - and according to her, much-needed - discussion on gender politics in Horry County. But the path to overcome the stereotypes she is decrying lies in supporting more women to help her break up the boys club, rather than implying that no other woman is up for the task.