'Be A Mother And Wife,' Man Exhorts During Montco Celebration Of Women Leaders

AMBLER, PA — The mayor of Ambler is fighting back after a man took to the stage at the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meeting and said, in response to a celebration of women in public service, women should only focus on building families.

"Young ladies, if you want to make a difference in life, be a mother and a wife," Montgomery County resident Joe Rooney said during a public comment section. "That's the only thing that really matters. That is what really matters in life."

The comments came during the March 5 meeting in Norristown which celebrated Women's History Month. The leader of Montgomery County's government, Jamila Winder, recognized individually each of the 33 women in leadership from around the county, Ambler's Mayor Jeanne Sorg among them.

"It's a great time to reflect on the long journey women in this country have taken to achieve equal rights," Winder said. "And a chance to reflect on the ways women have been empowered to become leaders and difference makers in our community today."

Rooney, however, insisted that leadership and public service were not goals that women should pursue.

"People can do anything," Rooney said, then targeted Sorg, "You can be the mayor of Ambler and nobody's going to remember you. But your kids and grandkids and great grandkids will still remember you. It makes a great country."

Sorg addressed the sexist incident Tuesday during the Ambler borough council meeting, noting fundamental gender rights issues persist long after it seemed as though the battle was won.

"I was reminded that battles won do not mean the war is over," she said. "It is being fought right now. In board rooms, in classrooms, in living rooms, and at the ballot, there are those fighting against our daughters."

The incident sparked Sorg to create a "Celebrating Women in Public Office Day" to be celebrated annually in Ambler on March 19. She added that women in service, often surmounting barriers that their male counterparts do not have to face, are not in it for fame, as Rooney's comments implied, but that they will not be forgotten.

"Make sure every young woman in your life knows," Sorg said. "Her voice belongs in every room where decisions are made."