Gannett Capital Bureau

BATON ROUGE - Gov.-elect Kathleen Blanco found even while vacationing at a Austin, Texas, spa that her election as Louisiana's first woman governor is having an impact on women.

"There is this sense of extraordinary pride that I am hearing from women in Louisiana and women from out of state who are seeking me out," she said.

But besides being the first woman elected governor of Louisiana, Gov.-elect Kathleen Blanco brings another first to the table: she comes to the governor's office with a depth of understanding of the communities of the state. Places like Springhill, Oak Grove, Iota, Tioga and Bains are not alien to her.

Over her two-term tenure as lieutenant governor promoting culture, recreation and tourism, she's been to every town in the state.

"I am prepared," Blanco said. "I don't think anyone has worked in Louisiana as much as I have when they come to this office."

The travel is important to Sen. Noble Ellington, D-Winnsboro. "She traveled all over, so that when I mentioned Epps or Winnsboro or Jena, she knows about them," Ellington said. "This is a huge plus for those of us in rural areas. This is different for us."

Not only does she bring a greater knowledge of every parish to the job than did outgoing Gov. Mike Foster, who rarely traveled, but her goal is to be a consensus-builder and to have a very inclusive administration that cuts across gender, party and racial lines.

"It is very important that I do a good job," Blanco said after returning Friday to Baton Rouge following a brief trip to Texas which she paid for herself. "When anyone breaks a barrier of any kind, a harsher spotlight shines on them. It just means you have to work harder to be successful. In this case, breaking the barrier for women means I have to succeed so that more women can come behind me."

She knows that her election tells young women and girls "that if you prepare yourself well, you have a chance to realize your dreams and aspirations." But the daughters and granddaughters of her generation "are living in a different world than I grew up in, and they are preparing themselves for leadership roles."

Her election also gives greater voice to women, who make up only 16 percent of the Legislature - 18 in the 105-member House and 6 in the 39-member Senate - even though women are 55 percent of registered voters.

State Supreme Court Justice Kitty Kimball of New Roads, who was the first woman elected to the state's highest court in 1991, said Blanco's election will have a significant effect on women of all generations.

"I absolutely cannot imagine anything of greater importance to young women that to realize they have it within their ability to achieve the highest office in the state," Kimball said. "It is having a significant impact of all generations of women just to realize Louisiana is a state that allows women the freedom to achieve office."

But the runoff election - between a woman and an Indian-American - "said an awful lot about the open-mindedness of the state and the willingness of the electorate to look beyond ethnicity and sex," Kimball said. "It broke stereotypes."

Blanco immediately broke stereotypes by appointing her transition team co-chairs: Jim Bernhard Jr., CEO of The Shaw Group, the Baton Rouge-headquartered Fortune 500 company, and Orleans Civil Clerk of Court Dale Atkins.

Blanco "wants to have an administration that looks like the faces of Louisiana," Atkins said. "One of the first things she did was to appoint me, an African-American woman, as one of transition co-chairs. That is sending a message that this is going to be an administration that is inclusive."

Inclusiveness is a word often used to describe Blanco's managerial style.

"She listens," said state Sen. Willie Mount, D-Lake Charles, a close friend whom Blanco urged to enter politics. The first woman mayor of Lake Charles, Blount was re-elected to the Senate without opposition and traveled with Blanco throughout the runoff campaign.

"Listening skills are a big part of it," said Mount, whom Blanco encouraged to get into politics. "Kathleen will listen, assess what she's learned, and then act. In order to build a consensus, to bring people together, you must first be able to listen."

The growing number of women in the Legislature means better decision-making, Mount said. "The more diverse your two legislative bodies, the better your decisions because you are representing a diverse population," Mount said. "You must be there. If you are not there, you cannot contribute."

Rep. Kay Katz, a Monroe Republican who backed Bobby Jindal, nevertheless believes Blanco will work very hard.

"She will be pragmatic and compassionate," Katz said. "My experience with her is that she works very hard to deliver. She and her staff have always been up front about what they can do and what they cannot do. The citizens deserve that. She'll listen to many sides of an issue and she will try to draw us together."

That's a different style that outgoing Gov. Mike Foster.

"I'm not saying she's soft, because she's not, but Mike was pretty iron-handed and she's going to be softer than that," said Sen. Ellington. "She can be as strong and firm as she needs to be. She knows and understands people and that's what this is about."

People who believe that they can run over Blanco "do so at their own peril," said state Rep. Jerry "Luke" LeBlanc, D-Lafayette, who also campaigned with Blanco. People may misjudge her reserve, her calmness and her politeness for weakness, but she is "as firm as she has to be," he said.

Blanco's people skills are greater than Foster's, said Lola May of Shreveport, director of the Queensborough Neighborhood Association, who, as a board member of Shreveport Green knows both.

"Kathleen Blanco is a more hands-on person, more involved and likes to move about," May said. "Gov. Foster was born in Shreveport, but he made very few visits." When Foster met someone "he didn't seem friendly, but she embraced you, asked about you. She is very kind, but she is a very firm woman."

Sen. Charles Jones, D-Monroe, who campaigned strongly for Blanco in the runoff and will be a leader in the Senate, said Blanco engages in conversations and meetings and frequently asks questions. "That's when you know she's really listening to you. She asks questions, and the questions are probing," Jones said.

Sally Clausen, the first woman to head the University of Louisiana System and the first woman president of Southeastern Louisiana University at Hammond, said Blanco's election represents a milestone "but the real test will be in results. And she has proven that she the courage and strength to do the job. She has survived very tough battles and barriers - personally, professionally and politically - and I think she is going to be as strong a governor as we have ever had."