Paris Bienert, 27
How hard is it for a woman to run for office? Paris Bienert knows.
She's been an advocate for women in politics through her work at the National Women’s Political Caucus and EMILY’s List. Then in 2018, she decided to get off the sidelines and run herself, winning a seat on the Democratic State Central Committee in Maryland, the youngest candidate on her ballot.
The lifelong Baltimorean and social worker is now running for City Council to help restore her constituents’ faith in their local government.
What was the best piece of advice you received about running for office?
“In politics, you’re never able to predict where your biggest supporters will come from.”
Running for office often includes a lot of disappointments, but also a lot of surprises. Your best friend might never knock a single door for you. They might never donate a single dollar. Even though they love you, they just may not have the interest, ability or passion to support any political campaign, even yours. That said, you will find people who are complete strangers that end up being your biggest supporters. One of the benefits of running for office is discovering those strangers while understanding how to accept whatever support your friends and loved ones are able to give.
In most interviews, I ask candidates what are the proverbial “potholes” in their communities. But potholes are actually a major tenet of your platform. Why are city services one of the highest priorities of your campaign?
Baltimore faces significant challenges, including but not limited to: a police department desperately in need of reform and modernization which leads to high crime rates and gun violence; a failing public school system; public health crises like opioid overdose and poor access to care; lack of affordable housing; and a general disinvestment in our communities. These challenges are systemic and will require long-term solutions. I believe that we must work towards these solutions, but I also recognize that there is much we could be doing to help our communities in the short-term.
“In politics, you’re never able to predict where your biggest supporters will come from.”
Too many people in Baltimore have lost faith in our local government and its ability to provide basic city services like water maintenance and trash pick-up. If our citizens don’t see progress on the smaller things, it makes it even harder to understand and believe that we could ever make progress on the larger, systemic issues. I know that constituent service is the bread and butter of City Council. It’s about demonstrating an ability to be responsive on the “little things” that are so important like trash, water, and potholes that have a huge impact on our day-to-day quality of life.
We cannot hope to move Baltimore City forward if we don’t address the problems that are immediately in front of us.
You’ve helped other women get elected through your work at National Women’s Political Caucus and EMILY’s List. Now you’re throwing your hat in the ring yourself. When did the lightbulb go off? When did you realize you wanted to run for office?
In the months leading up to November 2016, I was committing an average of 45 volunteer hours per week to the Hillary For America campaign, on top of my fulltime job. Needless to say, I was devastated by the results of that election. Like so many women across the country, I felt the pain of understanding that, once again, we had failed to shatter that highest glass ceiling after coming so close.
The story was even more upsetting when I looked at other races. For the first time since 1971, Maryland was going to have an all-male Congressional delegation. The US Senate gained one more woman in 2016 but the US House lost one, so our female representation in Congress remained static at less than 20%.
I had always planned on running for office “someday”. After November 2016, it became clear to me that it was my time to get off the sidelines. I decided then that I would run for the Democratic State Central Committee in Maryland’s 46th legislative District. I was the youngest candidate on a ballot of 15 people, and I won with the second-highest number of votes. My colleagues then elected me to be their Chair.
“I know that constituent service is the bread and butter of City Council.”
Through my experience of running for the Democratic State Central Committee in 2018, I had the opportunity to meet thousands of people across Southeast Baltimore. I listened to their ideas, their concerns, and their needs. I realized then that it was necessary for us to elect a new City Council representative in District 1, and so I decided that I would run for this seat.
Only 27% of Baltimore’s City Council is comprised of women. What issues haven’t been addressed because of this lack of representation?
Women will not be truly represented until we have equal seats at the table. In Baltimore City, our population is 53% women, and yet we are drastically underrepresented on our City Council. It’s not exactly that the lack of equal gender representation results in certain issues going unaddressed; rather, it’s a matter of women’s perspectives not being considered in important areas of public life, such as public safety and public transportation.
I personally understand that women experience public safety very differently than men do, and therefore we understand the impacts of law and policy enforcement decisions differently than men do. It’s a problem that only 16% of Baltimore’s police force are women because we know that a more diverse force will be better equipped to keep our communities safe.
“"I had always planned on running for office “someday”. After November 2016, it became clear to me that it was my time to get off the sidelines."
When it comes to transportation, we know that the majority (58%) of Baltimore’s public transit riders are women. Therefore, women’s voices and concerns should certainly be considered in the decision-making process for all transportation-related matters. However, the City Council’s Public Transportation Committee does not have a single woman on it!
Lastly, let’s talk about economic opportunity. The average woman in Baltimore City makes $0.80 of the average man’s $1.00. I have a hard time believing that we would continue to ignore this gender pay gap if there were more women in our local government. That’s why my first piece of legislation on the City Council will be banning salary history questions by employers because we know this discriminatory practice only perpetuates the gender pay gap.
Young candidates are often dismissed because of their lack of experience. What do you think has prepared you for this position?
I have lived my entire life in Baltimore City and I have seen first-hand how we have made gains and have suffered losses over my 27 years here. It’s that intimate experience with Baltimore that gives me the grounding, sense of history, and emotional connection to what we all need to do together to help Baltimore continue to grow and succeed, despite our challenges.
“Sure, I might be “young,” but I am entirely qualified for this position,”
Sure, I might be “young,” but I am entirely qualified for this position: I’ve been a political organizer in my community; I’ve served as a leader in my neighborhood association; I’ve supported Baltimore’s most vulnerable populations as a social worker; and I already hold elected office. All that being true, I would argue that my greatest qualification is my deep love for my hometown.
What advice would you give to another young Democrat considering a run for office?
That this is hard, but necessary work, not to be entered into lightly. Frankly, it’s been even harder and more discouraging than I expected, with lots of attacks and critiques to deal with, as well as just a lot of long days knocking on doors and calling people. But that comes with the love and support of my friends and family, and the commitment from wonderful people I’ve met along the way. Remembering why I chose to do this and who I chose to do it for is what makes it easy to get up every morning and keep working to earn the support of my neighbors here in the First District.
The views expressed in this interview are those of the candidate, and do not reflect the beliefs and views of Ballot Breakers or its staff.