Much like yesterday, the second installment of Ava’s work experience did not cometh too easy. I arrived right on time- five minutes early, I might add- but what do ya know? Every single parking lot, deck, and garage was either completely full, or only government employees. Even my desperate attempts at finding a parallel parking spot came to no fruition- the longest time allotment I could find was two hours! I ended up illegally parking by a church, relying on the power of God (and my proximity to one of His institutions) to not get towed. Oh, the trials and tribulations of finding a spot in downtown Raleigh!
After that debacle, I ended up being a bit late, but Mrs. Perkinson assured me that it was more than fine. That morning, we consulted with Senator Barringer of Wake County about funding and referrals for the Tammy Lynn Center, TLC being one of Mrs. Perkinson’s employees. It was very interesting to be in “the room where it happens”, in this case, seeing a lobbyist consulting with a Senator to push a client’s agenda. I haven’t gotten a taste of this until now, and this sort of meeting seemed like the very crux of a lobbyist’s position.
I had told Mrs. Perkinson about my early morning driving debacle and she kindly allowed me to move my car, and directed me to a ~ less risky ~ spot. After this, we went to a very interesting meeting about the implementation of four new charter schools within Mecklenberg County in a variety of townships, redistricting of schools, and parental allowance (or lack thereof) in enrollment. The back-and-forth between some of the senators was quite heated… to say the least. The pinnacle of the argument was that redistricting and allowing for newer schools in pre-existing wealthy areas had inklings of Brown vs. Board of Education, and this comment certainly sent some of the other members of the committee reeling. My personal feelings aside on the bill, the “I’s” had it.
We next ate a hearty meal at the Planet Cafe once again, and then we went to a second meeting on the same topic, and it went very quickly compared to the previous one as many of the senators served on both.
My day ended here, and I fortunately found my way back to my car expeditiously and safely!
