WALNUT GROVE — Mayor Stephanie Moncrief thinks about Margaret Thatcher more than the average Georgia politician.
Particularly a quote widely attributed to the former U.K. prime minister: “If you want to have something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”
Women are still routinely outnumbered in Georgia and elsewhere when it comes to elected office.
Walton County’s Walnut Grove, population 1,700, is a rarity: The mayor and all city council members are women.
“Personally, my opinion is, ‘Who do you look to, to get stuff done?’” Moncrief asked.
Cobb County’s Board of Commissioners became an all-female county governing body in 2020. The tiny Atlanta-area towns of Pine Lake and Auburn had all-female mayors and councils a few years ago, but not anymore.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Moncrief became mayor a little over a year ago after defeating incumbent Mark Moore in November 2023 elections. Two other female candidates unseated male incumbents on the council. All three won handily after a campaign billboard featured the women as a group.
“We’ve had resounding support, I would say, in our community, especially from women,” said Moncrief, 58, who was a council member before challenging Moore.
A recent example of their get-it-done approach is at a city ball field, after the ball field lights had fallen into disrepair and were unused for 20 years.
Moncrief and the council found $18,000 in the city budget to get the lights burning. After a recent council meeting, they adjourned to the nearby ball field to watch a youth baseball team’s practice, the first nighttime event in two decades.
“It just didn’t seem like anyone thought it was important,” said Erica Miles, 37, one of the council members.
A bigger challenge for Moncrief and the four council members is helping steer significant residential and commercial growth as Atlanta continues to expand into surrounding counties. Later this month, the council will kick off a consultant-led effort, Envision Walnut Grove, in which they are seeking guidance directly from citizens.
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com
All Walnut Grove’s governing team are mothers, and they say that shapes their approach.
“I think that as mothers, and the council members, and women, we have a better idea of what we should leave for (future generations) as we pass through,” said council member Linda Pilgrim, 71.
And when it comes to rewriting ordinances or adjusting sewer fee schedules, “those kinds of details get handled, in my opinion, much better by this council and this mayor, because we are women,” said council member Rachel Davis.
Not that they don’t disagree. “Yeah, I can argue all day long with all of these women, but it’s a respectful, healthy argument,” said Davis, 45.
Maxine McClanahan, a 73-year-old council member, admits to getting some outside help.
“I’m not always known for being tactful,” she said. “I try. And I’ve taken some classes that I feel have helped me deal with that.”
The women say they still experience some male condescension in meetings, but that it’s going away.
“I don’t ever go into a meeting with a man thinking that he’s going to treat me differently,” Moncrief said. “I just walk in and I am who I am.”
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