UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 38, Page 3
August 5, 1993
Two employees new members of state's General Assembly
Librarian was active locally
Catherine Willis Wojewodzki, associate librarian and Democratic state
representative from the 23rd District, encompassing northwest Newark, had
not been involved in partisan politics until she decided to run for the
Delaware legislature.
"I was an active member of the League of Women Voters, studying the
issues, arranging candidates' meetings and helping with the election
supplement the league publishes in the Wilmington News Journal," she said.
"I also was active in the community of Newark, where I grew up,
attended high school and the University and where I now live," she said.
Her life changed as she hit the campaign trail. "It was a little scary
at first, but I went door to door, meeting everyone in my district and
handing them a brochure listing my qualifications and viewpoints. We had
one fund-raiser, which was successful and fun," she said.
She compared election day to her wedding day-lots of excitement with a
jumble of memories. Returns from Democratic poll watchers came to her home,
and the tension mounted as she won some areas and lost others. "It was wild
when the election was conceded. We celebrated, everyone screaming and
hugging, and after everyone left we went to the Democratic headquarters to
find out how other candidates were faring and to share in the excitement of
the election of a new Democratic president."
Wojewodzki was sworn in with her two daughters and husband looking on.
The new represenative has been assigned to the Transportation
Committee and is involved in helping to determine how the federal Clean Air
Act should be implemented as well as studying the transportation needs and
infrastructure of the state.
Locally, she has a more immediate agenda-how to detour trucks around
Newark, both on the short and the long term, and the development of bike
paths in the area.
Her main interest is education, she said. One of the best laws passed
in this session is the expansion of parent education throughout the state.
"Parents need to know it's important to play with their babies, hang
bright-colored things over their cribs, give them simple things to
manipulate and explore. Stimulation is vital to babies," she said.
As a professional librarian, Wojewodzki also has an interest in public
and school libraries. "Libraries are one place where everyone, rich or
poor, has access to information, free of charge. There is interest in
linking public libraries in Delaware, with at least one from each county in
a network," she said.
Serving as a member of the Governor's Task Force for School Libraries,
she pointed out that surveys have shown that schools with good libraries
produce good students.
"School librarians should function as such and not just as caretakers
of children, so that students can learn to do research and investigate
topics. We are considering having an overall library supervisor in the
state school system to give leadership in this area," Wojewodzki said.
Wojewodzki gives the General Assembly high marks. "We are lucky in
Delaware. The representatives are concerned about the people they represent
and are committed to trying to do a good job for them," she said.
-Sue Swyers Moncure
______________________________________________________________________
Ex-teacher is education chair
Liane Sorenson, director of the Office of Women's Affairs, also serves
as the Republican state representative from the 12th district, which
includes the Hockessin, Centreville, Greenville and Prices Corner area.
"What I do as a legislator is frequently related to what I do for a
living," she said. "Part of my job at the University is to work with the
public on women's and family issues, and this dovetails with many of my
involvements in the house."
An active Republican for several years, as well as an advocate for
women's issues, Sorenson was Republican party 12th District secretary/
treasurer and then chairperson of her election district and vice
chairperson of the Republican Women's Club in the Christiana/Millcreek
area.
She has been a lobbyist for issues concerning women and children, was
president of the Junior League, chaired the Agenda for Delaware Women, and
was director of Child Inc.'s Statewide Parent Education Program.
When the representative of her district retired, Sorenson was
encouraged to run for the position. She visited households all over her
district, and her teenage children and husband pitched in, passing out
brochures and putting up posters. On election night, she lost in the early
returns that were reported, and the media predicted her as the loser. But
when all the returns were tallied, she got a healthy 57 percent of the
votes. "It was exciting and exhausting," she recalled.
As a member of the majority party in the Delaware House, the former
classroom teacher with a background in education including her current job
at the University, was appointed chairperson of the Education Committee.
This session, legislation was passed to change the composition of the
state school board so that only two out of the seven members had to have
local school board experience. Another law required that children had to be
5 years old to start kindergarten, in keeping with regulations in most
other states. Other legislation benefited teachers, so that districts are
not required to riff a certain percentage of teachers only to rehire them
after school started-a process disruptive to students and teachers alike,
Sorenson said. She also cited the bill requiring the reporting of assaults
and making it illegal to have guns in schools and the surrounding areas.
Sorenson said she also is concerned with domestic violence and how
this should be handled by the judicial system.
The other side of the coin as a legislator is improving her district
and responding to constituent concerns. Education is again on her agenda,
and she said she is working to achieve a reasonable balance between
protecting the environment and encouraging new businesses in her district.
-Sue Swyers Moncure