FOCUS

POWER

7'he Al ax

KIMBERLY LIFTON

Staff Writer

L

ansing — On a framed
poster above Rep. Max-
ine Berman's desk is a
row of footprints. To the left
is an outline of a large man's
foot and to the right is a
small silhouette of a woman.
It is 45 minutes before a
morning session, and Ms.
Berman sips a cup of coffee,
reads the morning Detroit
Free Press and snacks on a
small pack of crackers. Poin-
ting to the poster, which
carries the saying, The
Evolution of Authority, she
says:
"This is me."
Now serving her fifth, two-
year term in the Michigan

On the House floor,
Maxine Berman
discusses pending
legislation.

38

FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 1991

House of Representatives,
Ms. Berman, 44, a Democrat
from Southfield, has become
the point person for pro-
choice forces on the abortion
rights issue. And as one of
six Jewish voices in Lansing,
Ms. Berman says her votes
represent her district, which
embraces a large Jewish
component.
In addition to her
legislative duties, Ms. Ber-
man is also a board member
for the National Association
of Jewish Legislators and a
board member of Jewish
Vocational Service. She is a
member of several organiza-
tions, including Hadassah,
the National Council of Jew-
ish Women and the Jewish
Historical Society.
"I'm proud to be a Jewish

representative," she says.
"There aren't that many of
us. I feel very close to my
district and to the Jewish
community. I am sure being
Jewish influences how I
vote. We all vote based upon
who we are and where we
come from."
As an active Democrat and
a crusader for women's
rights, Ms. Berman didn't
seek public office on a
woman's platform. Yet she
doesn't dispute her reputa-
tion as an advocate for wo-
men's rights.
"I've always been pro-
choice. I've done many other
things here, too," Ms. Ber-
man says. "But if what I am
known for is helping women,
I'm proud of it."
Depending on the circle,

Ms. Berman wears various
facades. A friend of women's
groups, she is considered a
staunch enemy of the right-
to-life movement. However,
those who fervently disagree
with her position on the
House and Senate floors
declined to comment for this
profile.
Educators say they admire
Ms. Berman, a former Eng-
lish teacher; and colleagues
affectionally refer to her as

"She is pro-education and
pro-social issues in the lib-
eral version of things," says
Bob Harding, the political
action chairman for the
Southfield Board of Edu-
cation. "She is not afraid to
take controversial posi-
tions."
Carol King, executive di-
rector of the Michigan Abor-
tion Rights Action League,
says Ms. Berman "works
tirelessly on women's issues
and does so in a principled
way.
"One of the things I think
is so admirable is that she
has stuck to her convictions
even when it wasn't easy,"
Ms. King says. "She has
never taken the path of least
resistance."
Recently, Ms. Berman set
out to master a new political
task as one of the newest ap-
pointees to the Appropria-
tions committee.
In addition, she will chair
a special committee on reap-
portionment for the state
legislative districts. (This is
not part of the reapportion-
ment committee designed to
redraw congressional
districts.)
After morning session, Ms.
Berman will attend a Mich-
igan Education Association
luncheon. The day looks
free, with a short scheduled
floor session, the MEA lunch
and a meeting with a
lobbyist for the city of
Southfield.
In the afternoon, she plans
to answer mail and return
phone calls. She writes and
signs all of her own letters.
A supporter of the arts,
Ms. Berman received nearly
700 letters from constituents
angered by Gov. John
Engler's plans to cut state
funding to the arts.
Now nearly 10 a.m., Ms.
Berman slips on her bright

