New Dunkirk Mayor Kate Wdowiasz was on hand when U.S. Rep. Nick Langworthy made a stop at the city Fire Department in this photo from Langworthy’s Facebook page.

Ellen Yates Miller created quite a stir in 1918. Winning election for Chautauqua County clerk as a woman was not only a first for New York state, it also set off some waves locally.

According to a 2018 article in The Post-Journal by Katrina Fuller, seven employees would resign from their positions in 1919 because they did not want to work for the 1900 Jamestown High School graduate because of her gender. Miller, who ran for office only one year after the state allowed women to vote, had made a significant dent in national and local history.

Dominance in elected positions by men continues to be the norm throughout much of the nation, but there has been a bit of a slow evolution. Gov. Kathy Hochul was the first female to be elected New York state governor while Nancy Pelosi was the first woman to serve as House speaker.

Locally, for the first time since the early 1990s, the two county cities are being led by women. Both Kate Wdowiasz of Dunkirk and Kim Ecklund of Jamestown won their contests by narrow margins.

Earlier this week, both noted the importance of their achievement. “I am truly honored and humbled to stand before you as the 26th mayor of the city of Jamestown,” Ecklund said on New Year’s Day. “As I took the solemn oath of office, I am reminded that we could not have done this, and it could not have been possible, without the help of so many people who are not only present today, but also watching on live-stream video.

“As the first Republican female mayor, I am truly grateful and hope to continue to be a role model for more to follow me in the future.”

Previously, Carolyn Seymour was the first female mayor of Jamestown serving from 1992 to 1994. Madylon Kubera, from 1988 to 1989, and Margaret Wuerstle, from 1992 to 1997, held the top position in Dunkirk.

Ecklund is no stranger to Jamestown’s government. She has a solid record when it comes to overseeing the finances as a former councilwoman at-large.

Wdowiasz was more of an insider at City Hall, working as a paralegal. She decided to run for election after learning former Mayor Wilfred Rosas would not seek a third term

“I wanted to serve as mayor because I truly believe this community has the tools, knowledge, desire, ability and willingness to make Dunkirk great,” she said on Monday. “This administration will be centered around the ‘we’ concept — we are all in this together.”

In moving their agenda forward, the city mayors can look to some others who have provided excellent leadership in their communities. Martha Bills has served as town of Westfield supervisor for more than two decades and has made a tremendous difference in promoting the region’s agricultural resources and related businesses — including the wine industry.

Colleen Meeder is highly respected as the mayor of the village of Sherman. During her term, her leadership has guided a number of efforts to improve the downtown district while making infrastructure repairs. The same can be said of Rebecca Brumagin as town of Mina supervisor.

On the Chautauqua County Legislature, Susan Parker of District 4 — which now includes the village of Fredonia, town of Pomfret and city of Dunkirk — is possibly the most outspoken of the 19 legislators. While serving in the minority party as a Democrat, she has been a consistent voice for fiscal responsibility.

Some other notable names from the past include state Sens. Catharine Young and Pat McGee. Both were strong willed and never backed away from the battles in Albany. Athanasia Landis became the first female mayor of the village of Fredonia, serving one term while focusing on bringing grant money to upgrade Barker Common and the Fredonia Opera House.

In all, including the cities, 10 women hold leadership positions in 42 of the county’s municipalities — nearly 25%. That’s less than what UN Women – a United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women — finds with the global numbers.

Its data, from 141 countries, show that women constitute more than 3 million — 35.5% — of elected members in local deliberative bodies. Only three countries have reached 50%, and an additional 22 countries have more than 40% women in local government.

Our region has some catching up to do.

On Wednesday afternoon, current County Clerk Larry Barmore called our office with a question regarding the history of his office. He later noted Miller’s achievement while praising one of the best to ever sit in his position: his predecessor Sandra Sopak. She served for 20 years from 1993 to 2013, was a member of the New York State County Clerk Association and served as president. She received several state County Clerk Awards and served as host in 2004 for the statewide County Clerks Convention, which was held in Chautauqua Institution.

Her attention to detail and dedication at the office was a model for others to follow. Nobody, even Barmore may agree, did it better.

John D’Agostino is editor of The Post-Journal, OBSERVER and Times Observer in Warren, Pa. Send comments to jdagostino@observertoday.com or call 716-487-1111, ext. 253.