To Tallahassee and Back: The Coolest Person I Have Met in the Legislative Process

Ever since I launched this blog I have periodically commented on some of the people I have met while working for the Florida Legislature.  The list is long and varied.  I have crossed paths with government officials, celebrities and others known to many in the public eye.  I was once asked "who is the coolest person you have ever met while working for the legislature?”  Hands down that person is the Involved Constituent.  Who is this, you may ask?  The Involved Constituent is a composite of all the people I have met and, in some cases, played a small part in helping them with an issue or problem they were experiencing.

A lot of what we do in Representative Mike Fasano’s office is education.  While constituent service is the representative’s top priority, educating those who call us for help goes hand-in-hand with that service.  As someone who volunteers a lot of time working in local schools for Junior Achievement, teaching kids church off and on for over 20 years, helping school my own three children, and engaging in various other “teaching and training” events, I truly enjoy helping people learn.  In my job, I help people learn how our government works.

The so-called Involved Constituent is that person who not only needs help with something, but has a desire to learn more about the legislative process, state government or some other aspect(s) of the multitude of issues Representative Fasano has been involved in over the years.  Whether it is insurance reform, pill mills, taxation, mental illness or a whole host of subjects that have formed the body of literally hundreds of pieces of legislation during the past 19 years, helping someone else have a better understanding of those issues is deeply satisfying to me.

Many people who call our office don’t understand how government at all levels is structured.  We all know that Social Security is a federal program, but how many know that Medicaid is a federal program that is administered by the state, with the state having great discretion regarding how it is implemented?  Helping others learn these small things is more than just an academic exercise, it is equipping that person to become not only more informed but more involved.  People who want to advocate for change, whether it be for tougher laws dealing with animal abusers to creating a new specialty license plate, must first understand not only the issue itself but the methods available to make needed changes.

A natural outgrowth of Representative Fasano’s push for excellence in constituent service is educating people on ways they can work to help themselves.  The often complex and maze-like structure of government, with its layers of phone messages that say “press 1 for “so-and so, press 2 for “this-and-that…” and “the wait time for this call is 20 minutes, please visit our website for faster service” does little to inspire confidence in the constituent.  Just as ATM machines have taken away much of the personal element of banking, phone menus and websites have taken away the personal element of governing.  Not that I object to technology, I embrace it, actually.  However, it often distances the governed from those who govern, which is not a good thing.   If we can’t talk to the Involved Constituent how can we help them better understand what it is they need help with?

Yes, the coolest person I have met through this process is the Involved Constituent.  This person is the fellow down the street who needs help with a vehicle registration.  This individual is someone who is struggling to collect child support.  This is a neighbor who is experiencing difficulties with their utility company.  The list goes on and on.  Our job is to help them not only navigate the intricate passageways that can make resolving their issue difficult, it is equipping them with a greater understanding of how government works and can work for them (and how they can work for themselves, which is often empowering  for an individual).

If you would like to learn more about becoming an Involved Constituent, or have any questions about how state government works, please leave me a comment. I will gladly help you in any way that I can, as will anyone who works for Representative Mike Fasano.  That is what we are here for!