by Cate Pitterle, ’20
Do you know who your local representatives are? Have you met them? Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to interview some of North Carolina’s representatives. The life of a politician is a busy one, stressful for sure, and one of the most important roles to fill– whether it be at the local, state, or federal level. I interviewed NC House Representatives all over Wake County in the hopes of introducing the people who make up our legislature to you, the Cary Academy community.
I asked the representatives questions concerning their inspirations, motivations, and lives– both political and personal. The representatives I interviewed were Gale Adcock, Grier Martin, Duane Hall, Rosa Gill, Joe John, and Cynthia Ball.
I’ve learned a lot through interacting with them the past few weeks. For instance, legislators have to budget their time in order to get things done– just like students. Have you ever realized you had way too many extra-curricular activities or classes on your plate? It’s like that. And I’ve found that legislators, in order to succeed, need a few key aspects: fearlessness, drive, patience, and compassion. It’s a lot to live up to, especially when the wants and needs of your constituents are hanging in the balance. But the most important thing is motivation. And for every congressman and congresswoman I interviewed, the motivation was helping others. To me, that’s the most important lesson public service preaches– the very meaning behind its name.
The first representative I was able to talk to was Gale Adcock, whose district, 41, encompasses parts of Cary, Apex, Morrisville, and Holly Springs. In addition to serving in the NC House and on the Cary Town Council, she is the Chief Health Officer at SAS– making for a busy schedule, indeed. When I asked her how she managed her time, she replied, “It’s hard. When you want to do a lot, you give up things”. Rep. Adcock’s motivations lie in helping others. “Life events have given me opportunities to make a difference in others’ lives, and for that I feel very lucky,” she told me. “This motivates me to take risks and try new things because I am not afraid of failure.” She has had a multitude of experiences that have influenced her policies, including her nursing practice and education. “I am the first person in my extended family to get an education beyond high school,” she said. “I worked my way through college and graduate school.”
Like Rep. Adcock, Rep. Duane Hall of District 11 (which includes parts of Cary and Raleigh) has a busy schedule. He is a practicing attorney in addition to serving in the legislature. He gets much of his inspiration from his role model, Senator Terry Sanford. “He was a champion for the working family in North Carolina. He valued education and hard work. I try to emulate some of the polices he worked so hard to pass.” As a Democrat, Rep. Hall is in the minority party of the House. When I asked him how he felt about politics and being in the minority, he replied, “I do enjoy politics, although sometimes it is frustrating.” He says he operates largely through compromise: “I constantly look for ways to find common ground with those on the other side of the aisle and work on legislation we all agree on.” This comment stuck out to me because of its relevance to school. As Cary Academy says in its DICE motto, we have to collaborate with others even if we don’t agree with them. This, as you may have realized from group projects, can lead to beautiful results.
Rep. Grier Martin is of District 34 (which covers parts of Raleigh and a tiny slice of Cary– an area, per his words, that looks like some sort of gargantuan crab). Unlike many of his colleagues, Rep. Martin’s path to politics wasn’t straightforward. “I had always been certain that I never wanted to run for office, but I helped other candidates a bit,” he told me. “What got me into politics was the combination of two significant events. The first was the birth of my daughter, Sarah, who is in eighth grade at Cary Academy. As a parent, I had to make a better state for her to live in. And soon after she was born, I was deployed to Afghanistan, which is a country where people have a hard time caring for their children. The combination of those two events made me realize that I needed to make North Carolina a better state for my children to live in.” When I asked Rep. Martin if there was one thing he wanted me to know about him as both a person and politician, he replied with a caution. “My goal– and I do not claim I will always achieve this goal– is to take the job seriously, but not to take myself too seriously,” he said. “There is a tendency amongst members of the General Assembly to think that we are somehow very important, and we tend to take ourselves very seriously here. [But] I don’t think that we should ever think we ourselves are that important; instead, it’s the work that’s important.” This, I think, is a good lesson to take to school. Taking yourself too seriously can be a problem on both ends of the spectrum. As Rep. Martin pointed out, too much confidence can be a problem. But too little confidence can be a problem, too– if you fail, don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s something that I personally struggle with, and it’s something we can all learn from.
While Rep. Martin’s road to the legislature wasn’t always clear, Rep. Joe John has a long history in North Carolina government. His district, 40, includes parts of Wake Forest and Raleigh. “Being elected to the NC House is not my first elected office,” he told me. He is also a judge, once serving on courts that included the NC Court of Appeals; he also served in the Executive branch as Deputy Commissioner of NCDMV and the Director of the NC State Crime Laboratory. Why did he pursue a role in legislature, then? “I believed that experience would be valuable in the role of considering legislation as a member of the General Assembly,” he said, “and I was not ready to retire.” His experience also plays a large role in his policies. “The past experiences I described as a Judge and agency leader in the Executive Branch certainly affect me as an individual and as a legislator; in addition, I am influenced by my roles as husband, father and grandfather.” This got me thinking about my own influences; I certainly know that school (especially my classmates and teachers) is a large one. And if influence leads to motivation, then that is a huge factor in where you go with life.
Rep. Rosa Gill is a former teacher in the Wake County Public School System; she also spent ten years as the Director of Traffic Records with the Division of Motor Vehicles. In 2009, she was elected to office for District 33, which covers parts of Raleigh and Garner. “Most of my professional career involves helping others to be successful,” Rep. Gill told me. “Being able to make a difference in the life of individuals is my motivation.” She takes many of her beliefs from her role model, Martin Luther King, Jr. “He is my role model because he was a fighter for fair and equal rights,” she said. When I asked Rep. Gill how she made her decisions, she said, “Most of my decisions are based on facts. My morals and personal ethics enter the picture when deciding on who will benefit the most or who will be harmed the most by the pending legislation.” She added, “My greatest satisfaction comes from knowing I have made the best decision based on current facts.”
The last representative I was able to interview was Rep. Cynthia Ball of District 49 (which covers parts of Raleigh). “I find politics to be fascinating,” she told me. “As a member of the minority party in the NC House, I am challenged to find common ground with members of the majority party.” Much like Rep. Hall, she can find this frustrating. “It is hard work and can be frustrating, but I have enjoyed using the skills I developed as a mediator to affect change in our Legislature,” she said. In high school, many students– including me– find their political views changing. As our sights broaden, so do our beliefs about the world. Rep. Ball went through much the same experience. “I grew up in a small town in a family that did not travel much,” she said. “As I have gotten more education, travelled, widened my experiences, and have been involved in more public policy initiatives, I have gained a greater appreciation for the responsibilities people have for each other and for our communities”. When I asked Rep. Ball about her plans for the future, she told me that she planned to keep working for change. She said, “I plan to serve District 49 in the NC House by working with my colleagues to find common ground on the many challenges we face as a State….I hope we can achieve a more balanced legislature that is truly representative of the diversity of our State.”
Like Rep. Ball, we all have things to work for– the question is what we do with that. What are your motivations? How will you use them? As Dr. Seuss once deftly said, “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.”
So who are your representatives? To check if they were interviewed, you can go to http://www.ncleg.net/. Whether or not you’re interested in politics, getting to know your representatives can be a great experience. I know it gave me a lot of insight into our local politicians: who they are, what they stand for, and what they are doing for our state. My takeaways from interviewing them were many, and it was a fantastic experience that I’m grateful to have. If you’re interested in politics, there are a variety of ways to get involved– all you have to do is find them!