Candidates Believe 'sex' Not A Factor In Election Loss

Losing can be a selí-examining experince - this is what the women who ran or the Ann Arbor Board of Education in ie June 14 election discovered. "I thought I'd win at various times, ut I've learned to say to myself 'some eople don't like Marcia Federbush'," ne candidate says. She was one of five women who ran or three board positions and lost. The three women who received the nost votes, Nancy (Mrs. John) Brusolo, 4,832; Ruth (Mrs. Andrew) Zweiler, 4,168, and Marcia (Mrs. Paul) "ederbush, 3,315, were asked their reacions to the campaign and the election esults. The candidates do not believe it was exual discrimination which cost the „lection. "The reason we didn't get lected was not related to sex; it was Tiore of a political matter," Mrs. Brusolo says. Women managed all three ;ampaigns and supplied much of the ivork forcé. Mrs. Brussolo says, "I'd venture to say 1,500 voters cast ballots for three women" exclusively without casting a vote for one of the male candidates. (Voters were limited to choosing three out of the field of 12 candidates.) No one asked the candidates why they weren't home with their children, but Mrs. Federbush says, "I expected someone to. "I may have had some negative votes from women because of the report on sex discrimination in the publicj schools." Because of her work with discrimination, Mrs. Federbush says some persons expected her to be a "he-man" type. Women in the Ann Arbor area have been elected to office before. Eunice (Mrs. Charles) Burns, who served on the city council for three terms,. says, "There is probably some undercover discrimination for higher jobs (senators, congressman)," but she believes voters accept women on the school board and city council. "Personally I found no discrimination. In 1965 I was the first choice of my party in the mayoral election . . ." Mrs. Burns lost as the Democratie candidate. She remembers during her campaign a psychologist saying some women who feel inadequate believe no other woman would be qualified for an elected post either. "If a woman is willing to learn the issues and think of solutions and is willing to work, she is not discriminated against. Generally those who feel discriminated against are hard to work with," Mrs. Burns says. Another successful woman in politics, Susan (Mrs. George) Sayre, county commissioner from Ypsilanti, says when shé was first elected to the board, "It was sort of an amusement to the men. It was a challenge - I had to prove that my ideas would be taken seriously." 'Tve been very well received on the board of commissioners. I don't feel discriminated against, but I've always feit I was a person first." Ruth Zweifler says she ran for the school board office because, "I thought a lot of things should be said that (over please)