Finding Balance

Post #3 

One of the challenges in being a candidate or an elected official is the balance between being "on-duty" and "off-duty."  As we know from watching President Obama, his every choice-from his opinions on Kanye West to the condiments on his hamburger-is noted and judged.

What about our local elected officials?  Our City, County, and State officials are all permitted to have other jobs.  When the General Assembly was created, it was envisioned that legislators would return to their farms or businesses after the 90-day session.  When I served in the House of Delegates representing District 17 (Rockville, Gaithersburg, and Garrett Park), I used to say (only somewhat jokingly) that the legislature was "less than half-time pay for more than full-time work."  Is this what works best?

Annapolis is a wonderful place to work.  The community is small enough that one can know the key players fairly quickly.  It's large enough that it's diverse in thought and personality.  People are passionate about issues as well as process, and the policy wonks thrive.

So what's reasonable for voters to expect of their elected officials?  I remember (after I was elected but before being married to my wonderful husband) having a terrible cold, dragging myself out to buy more cough medicine.  A Rockville activist approached me, seeking an update on an issue of concern to her.  I felt just awful, not able to respond as lucidly as I would have liked.  She seemed offended when I asked her if we could speak in a few days when I was feeling better.  Another time, I was out at a concert on a Saturday night.  A gentleman from another part of the state wanted to debate me on a recent legislative action.  I tried gently putting him off, trying to redirect the conversation to something more social.  Again, he was surprised that I did not want to engage him on the subject at that time.

Personally, I believe that I can be at my best when I have some modest amount of "off-duty" time to be with friends and family.  My other relationships and personal interests make me a more interesting person but also offer me perspectives I brought to the benefit of those I represented.

I would love to hear from you, dear Blog reader!  What are your expectations about those who represent you?  Do you believe there can be boundaries, or should a local elected official be available to serve 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year?  Send an email to Blog@CherylKagan.org or click on the "Comments" link below to express your views.  Please be sure to indicate which post (#3) you're addressing.

Thanks for reading.  I will post again soon.