“Candidates Make Constituent Service Priority”

 The maze that is the state and federal bureaucracy sometimes requires the assistance of a Congressional or Assembly staffer familiar with the workings of a specific agency or process. Having worked on the staff side for a number of years, I can tell you that the helping constituents navigate the waters of California’s myriad of agencies can be a truly humbling experience. For the office holder, an able and experienced staff can be the difference between success and failure when election time comes around.

 Constituent cases often range from the mundane to the truly complicated and rewarding. In State and Congressional Offices cases might involve making a simple phone call on behalf of the constituent or working over the course of weeks or months with other staff to achieve a satisfactory conclusion to the matter at hand. Congressional and Assembly staffers that are passionate about their work are often the most successful since they are willing to put forth the extra time and effort to successfully resolve these complicated issues.

Chad Condit

Chad Condit, who is campaigning for California’s newly apportioned 10th Congressional District Seat recently commented on the importance of constituent service. “Service to the people that elect you is the primary job of any representative.” “I will make sure that our office helps find the answers to constituent problems.” “We work for you,” Condit Said. Condit learned the value of constituent service from an early age and has incorporated those lessons into his work as a Chief of Staff, Assistant to a sitting Governor and now a Congressional Candidate. This experience will serve him and the constituents of the 10th Congressional District well should he be chosen to go to Washington next January.

Lesa Rasmussen

 Lesa Rasmussen, who is currently running for California’s 21st Assembly District certainly stands above the rest of the field of candidates running for that seat when it comes to constituent service experience. Her years of service with Assembly Member Dennis Cardoza and Assembly Woman Barbara Matthews provided her with a host of hands on experience that is rare in a candidate for public office. In a recent interview with Presstrain Rasmussen commented on her years of constituent service in the Assembly: "It has been said many times by many people that any elected official is only as good as their staff. That is so true when the elected official makes constituent services a top priority. So many people just give up when they run into a roadblock with state agencies and that's where constituent service solves problems that no one else can. In my ten years with the California State Assembly, the very best part of my job was constituent services.”

 Having had the pleasure of serving with both of these candidates, I can testify to their commitment and dedication to the constituents they worked on behalf of over the years. It takes a special set of skills that can’t be learned in a class room and a lot of shoe leather to successfully fight the bureaucracy on behalf of your constituent.