FEATURED
A time of adjustment
A conversation with Harriette Chandler VEER MUDAMBI
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exposed many existing problems such as in housing and healthcare, two issues that Chandler has been fighting for over much of her career. Housing, transportation and healthcare, especially women’s, are among her primary goals during her current term as well as her upcoming 11th term. “We’ve discovered that pro-women public policy will not be passed unless we do it ourselves,” Chandler said, citing her first piece of legislation as a senator that allowed women to stay in the hospital for 48 hours after having a baby. Amid the COVID-related debates, the question of police brutality and racial justice erupted this past summer, and every lawmaker has had to
take a stand — Chandler is no exception. “(Constituents) asked me to fight for change and I have to listen to that.” While she does not support defunding the police, she is part of the call for accountability. “(Police) carry a gun, they can kill people.” The power to take life is a unique position in society that requires police be held to a proportionally higher standard, Chandler said. With this in mind, in July she voted in support of a bill that furthered this goal through judicial reform. Fighting for equity is nothing new to Chandler — as a woman in politics she has been in an uphill battle her whole career — though the path has gradually become less steep. She recalled how when she started
out in politics, a woman couldn’t get a bank account unless her husband co-signed it. While society has come a long way since then, there is more to be done as women still face many barriers to entry in politics. “We need to see more Black and brown women running, women are 51% of the population and we should be heard,” she emphasized. “Men can graduate high school and college and decide to just run,” but for women, the glass ceiling is still very much a fixture as far as she is concerned. Breaking it can be a daunting task, so much so “that (women) say ‘maybe not now’ — I didn’t run for a long time because I said ‘maybe not now’ but it is now.”
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WORCESTERMAGAZINE.COM
O C T O B E R 1 5 - 2 1 , 2020
tate Sen. Harriette Chandler has seen a lot in her 26 years representing the 1st Worcester district in the state Legislature, but she’s never seen anything like what she’s seen this year, and it’s taken a lot of adjustment. “COVID has introduced us to the world of Zoom. I never used it before and now I can’t live without it,” said Chandler, who is serving her 10th term, and is currently running unopposed for re-election. Where once her entire staff worked essentially in one room, now they not only are in separate rooms but separate houses and towns, keeping in touch with weekly Zoom meetings.
The new way of conducting business on Beacon Hill also took a sizable adjustment period. The informal lines of communication that legislators have come to rely on — quick conversations in the hallways, whispered comments during meetings or impromptu coffees — are not coming back anytime soon. “It’s been difficult,” Chandler admitted, “but we’ve all adjusted very well.” The acclimation was borne of necessity, as every senator and representative has three major issues to contend with — the COVID crisis itself, the ongoing budget discussions, and whenever they get a spare moment, any work they were doing before the crisis. The three intersect more often than not, as COVID has
Senator Harriette Chandler listens in February as commuters explain the effects the Worcester transitional services office moving out of downtown has on their lives. FILE PHOTO/ASHLEY GREEN
