A local organization is starting a new initiative to help get more women from across WNY involved in the political process. The Buffalo Niagara chapter of National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) is hosting an event for its members to meet local female elected officials.
The meet and greet is scheduled for January 29 and its the first step in engagement for the organization.
Sherrie Barr-Mack is NAWBO Buffalo Niagara's public policy chair and is organizing the event. It's an opportunity for members to meet dozens of women in politics and hear how they are hoping to spark a change in their communities.
"They want to get involved, but they don't know where to begin," Barr-Mack explained. "They feel a little apprehensive because, 'well I don't even know who represents me' and 'I don't even know the political party'. But that's okay. You're never too old to learn and you're never too busy to know."
The organization will continue to hold events like this to help push this movement forward. The meet and greet is meant to be a fun and easy way to get more women interested in politics and familiar with the local leaders who represent them.
Erie County Democratic Committee Chair Jeremy Zellner has noticed more and more women becoming interested in politics since the 2016 election.
"We still have a long way to go," he said. "So getting more women involved and allowing for more opportunities for them to run for office or be involved is extremely important."
Barr-Mack and Zellner both would like to see more women elected to office. Currently, less than 20 percent of members of Congress are female.
7 Eyewitness News reached out to the Erie County Republican Committee to comment on this story but did not receive a response.
