CAREER ADVICE

Public Service
By former State Representative Patrick Shey 

As a state representative, I had the honor of representing part of Cedar Rapids in the Iowa General Assembly in Des Moines.  We met from January through May, three-and-a-half days a week, and addressed state issues -- education, taxes, crime, business policy and social services.  I had an apartment in Des Moines during the session, but because I have a young family, I tried to drive in just for the day whenever possible. 

I served on the Commerce Committee, the Judiciary Committee, and was vice chair of the Ways & Means Committee.  I had a strong interest in business, tax policy and legal matters, so I was very pleased with my committee assignments.  A typical day found me holding subcommittee hearings on assigned bills, managing legislation on the floor, meeting with constituents and—yes—attending a lot of meetings!  A lot of time was spent helping my constituents with questions or problems. 

For anybody interested in public service, you should have an interest not only in politics, but also in history and economics.  You should not be afraid of speaking in public, so a debate, drama or public speaking background comes in handy.  Volunteering for someone else’s campaign is the best place to start; you will probably be put to work stuffing letters, licking envelopes or delivering literature door-to-door, but it will give you great insight into the campaign process and what it takes to win. 

The strength of our system in Iowa is that it is truly a “citizen legislature,” the kind of system envisioned by Thomas Jefferson.  He believed those in public service should not be professional politicians, but rather hold other jobs and feel the day-to-day pressures of family, of work, etc. that everyone else feels.  Iowa legislators are paid a little, but most of us need another source of income to make ends meet.  I am an attorney for a local business. When I was not in session and, on nights and weekends, I was able to keep up on my “day” job.  While I believe a legal background is the best route to public office, I served with many teachers, farmers, businesspeople and retirees.  There are no minimal education requirements; of my colleagues, there were many with high school degrees and many with advanced degrees—and everything in between. 

As for skills, you must be able to lead and inspire others, you must not be afraid to speak in public, you must be organized and you must have the drive to do the work to get elected (during my first campaign I visited 13,000 households, wore out two pair of shoes and lost 20 pounds).  More importantly, you must be willing to take a position on an issue, defend that position, be willing to accept criticism from those who disagree with you and possibly accept defeat at the polls if your position is inconsistent with the majority of voters.  You must also have an interest in public policy; I read just about everything I could about international, state and local issues to be as well versed as I could be on the pressing issues of the day, even if it was not an issue I dealt directly with in Des Moines.

The biggest time commitment for public office is the campaigning.  I served for a two-year term, so I spent weeknights and weekends campaigning door-to-door, attending meetings and meeting with volunteers and campaign staff.  Many view this as a chore, but I really enjoyed getting out and meeting the people of my district.  It made me a better legislator by being more responsive.  Because of the constant campaigning, stress is a fact of life, particularly at election time; one must be willing to accept defeat in an election whenever your name is on the ballot.

The opportunities are unlimited.  Many presidents, governors, U.S. senators and members of Congress got their start in the state general assembly.  In the Statehouse, many move up to state senate when the opportunity arises, or may even run for statewide office.  It is not an easy life; generally the time commitment is great, and you must have another job to make a living.  But it is a tremendously rewarding job.  People at the grocery store who remember when I came to their door often stop and greet me; or people thank me for helping them cut through bureaucratic red tape on some issue of great importance to them.  So there is a lot of satisfaction in the job.

While we have a paid clerk during session, there is no staff to assist legislators after adjournment.  I spent a lot of time in my office at home, writing letters, responding to e-mails, preparing for the next campaign.  I know Microsoft Word and Excel pretty well and use both computer programs a lot in my work.  I found email made it very easy to communicate with my constituents.  I had a website during election years, but generally hired someone to maintain it.  I worked a lot with graphic designers and printers for specific mail pieces.

My first brush with politics was in Washington, D.C., working for U.S. Senator Charles Grassley.  I was a legislative assistant, advising the Senator on banking, trade and agricultural issues.  Many young people interested in politics get their start working as an intern, and then as paid staff to a member of the U.S. Congress.  Washington, D.C. is a great place to live for a while, and working on “the Hill” is a very exciting place to be.

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