Both my mother and a close friend asked me recently what a representative does. At first I was surprised at the question, but then I remembered a strategic planning session at Community Reinvestment Fund, where we struggled with defining our mission. The facilitator of the meeting told us to imagine that we were in an elevator with someone who asked what our company did. We only had the time it takes to move from one floor to another to answer the question in a way that explained a complex company in a brief and memorable way.
So, what is a Representative? It is the neighbor you ask to look out for you in state government. Because they are your neighbor, you trust them to know what is going on in your neighborhood, and to remember that every decision they make can make your neighborhood a better place to be. You expect them to listen to you about how to spend the money the state collects from you.
There are also neighbors that you send to Washington, D.C. to look out for you in federal government. You have a different set of expectations for those representatives. You expect them to know what is going on in your neighborhood and your state and all the other states, including sovereign nations. You expect them to make decisions that keep America safe and to listen to you about how to spend the money the IRS collects from you.
I’m your neighbor, and I will look out for you in the halls of congress in Denver. But, please, I don't want to go to Washington, D.C.
So, what is a Representative? It is the neighbor you ask to look out for you in state government. Because they are your neighbor, you trust them to know what is going on in your neighborhood, and to remember that every decision they make can make your neighborhood a better place to be. You expect them to listen to you about how to spend the money the state collects from you.
There are also neighbors that you send to Washington, D.C. to look out for you in federal government. You have a different set of expectations for those representatives. You expect them to know what is going on in your neighborhood and your state and all the other states, including sovereign nations. You expect them to make decisions that keep America safe and to listen to you about how to spend the money the IRS collects from you.
I’m your neighbor, and I will look out for you in the halls of congress in Denver. But, please, I don't want to go to Washington, D.C.
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