"[I] wouldn't let the meetings be closed," Gay said.
Her influence was seen in the increase in female judges, too--by the time she left the council in 1999, almost half the judges in the superior court were women, according to Gay.
By the time she left, the council itself had also achieved gender parity, with four male and four female members.
An Eye to the Future
So she decided to seek Capuano's vacated seat in last May's special election.
Many pundits thought that Gay's lack of recent political activity within Somerville would put her at a disadvantage to Alderman John Buonomo, but Gay believed in her chances.
"I wouldn't have sacrificed what I did if ...I couldn't win," Gay said.
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