|
|||||||||||||
Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Vogel discovers whirlwind life in state capital
Since Jill Holtzman Vogel was sworn into the Virginia Senate on Jan. 9, life for the freshman senator has been a juggling act — more so, she said, than for many of her peers.Thirty-three senators are men, most of whom are past the age of child rearing.
Thirty-seven-year-old Vogel is one of only seven women in the 40-member Virginia Senate, and she knows of only one other female senator who is currently raising children.
But Vogel has no trepidation about balancing her role as a mother and senator.
“I wish more women would consider it,” she said. “It’s great being able to have kids and be a productive member of the General Assembly.”
Since the legislative session opened two weeks ago, the practicing finance attorney and mother of two has been making Richmond her home-away-from-home five days a week.
Vogel makes the drive early Monday morning, not returning to her home in Upperville until Friday night, and “squeezing her law practice in around the edges.”
“Some of my clients don’t even know that I’m in the Senate,” Vogel said, “but that’s the way it should be. When I’m with my clients, they come first, just like when I’m with my children they come first, and when I’m in Richmond my constituents come first.”
During the 60-day legislative session, life as a senator is around the clock; her “average day in Richmond is a long one,” Vogel said.
She kicks off the morning with a caucus meeting at 7 or 7:30, followed by a two-hour committee meeting.
Vogel serves on three committees: General Laws and Technology; Rehabilitation and Social Services; and Privileges and Elections.
She uses her lunch break to respond to telephone calls or e-mails, and read up on bills on her Blackberry before convening in the Senate chamber for the General Assembly session from 12 to 1.
Vogel said that right now the Senate is primarily reviewing its own bills, which have thus far been non-controversial. This will change once the upper chamber begins reviewing House bills later in the session.
When Vogel isn’t in meetings, or responding to constituents, she’s reading and considering bills, which are often hundreds of pages long.
“We basically have seven and a half months to cover what Congress covers in two years,” Vogel said, referring to the more than 300 bills the Senate will review by March 9.
When sessions are gaveled to a close,, Vogel usually attends a committee meeting from 1 to 2. Later in the afternoon, she returns to her office, where the telephone rings constantly and knocks resound on her door. “Every five to 10 minutes someone comes into the office,” Vogel said. “It’s non-stop.”
While most people would find the unremitting flow of requests exhausting, Vogel finds it inspiring.
“It’s absolutely amazing how many people from home are paying close attention to what’s going on with the bills and come down here,” she said, listing retired teachers, law enforcement officers, farmers, bank employees, people with disabilities, nonprofits, and conservationists as just some of those who have visited her in Richmond.
“It gives me a chance to do something productive and positive, to legitimately make an effort to help a group in the community,” she said.
Vogel admits that while her previous work experience equipped her for the policy and legislative aspect of her new role, she was less prepared for the constituent services aspect.
She fields a heavy volume of calls and e-mails from individuals who share their stories and ask for her help in personal matters.
“It can be overwhelming, but I just try to see everyone,” Vogel said, “to take each one at a time. And you have to be practical, to know what you can do and can’t do."
The Senator said the voices of everyday people have already changed her position on some bills.
“Things aren’t always as they seem,” Vogel said. “Sometimes, I read a bill, and I think I understand the implications, but then someone e-mails me or calls me, and I realize there’s another side, another impact that hadn’t occurred to me before.”
It's a two-way street; the same can be said for the influence she has on her constituents.
Vogel said she receives calls from people who previously disagreed with her position, but are now thankful for her legislative work.
“What we’re doing here is so far removed from everyday life,” she said, “but it has a tremendous impact on people’s lives. So when someone calls and says, ‘hey, I get this,’ it’s very refreshing.”
Vogel can be reached in Richmond at (804) 698-7527
You must be logged in to post a comment.