BEMIDJI — A panel featuring local women in leadership roles Thursday at BSU became a call for inspiration and action in the political sphere.

The three women speaking during the event were Bemidji Mayor Rita Albrecht, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Tribal Chairwoman Carri Jones and Beltrami County Administrator Kay Mack. During their times to address the audience, each woman shared their experiences, challenges and the importance of getting more women civically engaged.

“We need women to step up. There’s a lot of leadership opportunities in our region, such as school board, City Council and County Board. I encourage people to do that,” Albrecht said. “We can do better. The only reason we’re not elected is because we don’t run.”

As part of her case to encourage other women to take charge politically, Albrecht used Bemidji as an example, describing how she is the first female mayor as well as how the city has elected only four females to the council.

In her remarks, Jones discussed how she ran for office and vied for the Tribal Chairperson position, which had only been held by males before.

“It was kind of intimidating, but I remember some of the elders talking to me and saying that our ancestors were the decision makers,” Jones said. “That was something that really inspired me.”

After deciding to campaign for the Tribal Chairperson seat, Jones won the position by seven votes and then won a recount by five votes after a petition.

As both the first woman and the youngest Tribe Chairperson, Jones said she has used the position to inspire other women, and has also tried to get younger people engaged through an internship program.

“Women, when we get together we can really build positive momentum,” Jones said.

During her statement, Mack also said more women need to make the decision to run for public service positions.

“Have confidence in your ability and enter the fray,” Mack said. “When I hear about not enough women being in government, I say you need to step up to the plate.”

Additionally, Mack described how running for offices at the local level of government — such as townships, city councils and school boards — can then lead to more women going on to state levels at the Legislature.

Prior to the three women addressing the audience Thursday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn. gave an introduction via video message and discussed the need for more women at the federal level as well.

The event was one of three at BSU that have been organized by BSU to celebrate Women’s History Month, with one taking place on March 10 and another scheduled for March 31. This year the theme of the month was “Working Toward a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Government and Public Service.”