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Virginia Capitol Connections , Winter 2013
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Mike Benefiel
House
David Ramadan
Karla Williams Boughey
Senate
Walter Stosch
David A. Bovenizer
House
Lee Ware
Abbi Easter
Senate
Donald McEachin
Christen Smith Faatz
Senate
Jeff McWaters
Stacie Gordon
House
Bob Tata
Linda Gross
House
Manoli Loupassi
Renee Hudson
House
Bobby Orrock
Joan Hyde
House
Bob Brink
Kate Kurk
House
Bill Howell
Severin Odic
House
Bob Brink
Pat Powell
House
John Cox
B.J. Robertson
House
Chris Head
Cheryl Simmons
Senate
Jeff McWaters
Sarah Ashley Wright
Senate
Stephen Martin
Judy Wyatt
House
Steve Landes
LA Reflections
Allison Baird
Legislative Aide to Senator John Edwards
The most dramatic change in the legislative aide’s job in recent
years has been the rapid transition to electronic correspondence.
In the mid-1990s, the General Assembly was still paper-driven.
Mail arrived three times every day, with hundreds of letters in each
delivery. Today, letters are rare, but our Senate Office receives as
many as 1,000 emails per day.
When I arrived at the General Assembly, all correspondence
was conducted via letter: drafting requests, budget amendments,
everything. We submitted legislation re-draft requests and
amendments as paper printout, sometimes even typed on a
typewriter! Fax machines were a game-changer—I remember how
excited I was to be able to fax in drafting requests! Email requests
streamlined our processes again, and this year our legislative
drafting system will allow us to file legislation with the Clerk’s
office online for the first time.
The Senate pages used to spend hours each day updating the
bill books that lined the top of the credenza in every aide’s office.
Though manual updating was a grind, we got to know the pages
better then than we do today. To look up legislation, we had to pull
the paper bill from the correct bill book.
Two things have not changed over my years at the General
Assembly: the willingness of Senate legislative aides—whether
Republican or Democrat— to help each other, and the dedication
the Senate Clerk’s Office and Legislative Services have to making
our offices run smoothly. Paper—or electronic-age, this is a team
that never loses focus on the important service we render to our
great Commonwealth.
Judith W. (Judy) Wyatt
Legislative Aide to Delegate R. Steven Landes
Since coming to work for Delegate Steve Landes in 2001, the
biggest change has come about with the way constituents contact
us. People used to call or write letters, but with the popularity of
email that now seems to be the preferred source of communication.
A ssistants, C hiefs of Staff, P olicy D irectors & Counsel Legislative Staff
Jason Stanford
House
Alfonso Lopez
Karen Papasodora-Cochrane
Senate
Harry Blevins
Camm Tyler
House
Kirk Cox
Peggy Tyree-Wells
Senate
Charles Colgan
Rama Van Pelt
House
David Bulova
Aileen C. Whitfill
House
Robert Brink
Not Pictured
Emails can be a blessing and a curse. Agency heads may now
communicate quickly with legislators and aides to help resolve
constituent concerns instead of going through a minimum of 30
days to turn around snail mail. Of course, when a topic heats up it
is overwhelming to open your email box to find up to 1000 emails a
day! And with only the delegate and legislative aide to answer, that
process can be mind boggling!
The other huge change is the amount of online petitions. The
constituent signs up to send a form blanket letter to the delegate
saying I signed this petition. All the letters look exactly alike with
no personal input from the person. That method of lobbying is
not effective as emailing or calling your delegate to convey your
personal concerns.
Holly Wyatt Herman
Legislative Aide to Senator Emmett W. Hanger, Jr.
My first legislative session was January 1997, I had already
worked half a year for the Senator but nothing prepares you for the
rush of Session! It takes about three Sessions to just realize what
all you have missed while you were thinking you were on top of
all your tasks! With so many deadlines, people, and procedures you
do your best to help your boss look good, stay on schedule, and
connect all the dots.
This will be my 17th Session and it is truly addictive but
exhausting! Stacks of postcards from constituent groups piled waist
high have been replaced by emails. Emails were brand new then so
they were manageable and now we can get thousands a week from
all over the world. Fax machines were the ultimate high-tech gadget
then, now my prized “assistant” is an iPad. As a former reporter,
I still like carrying a couple pens and a notebook everywhere
and nothing beats a good, old-fashion conversation and looking
someone in the eyes!
We worked on about the same amount of legislation but now the
filing, tracking, amending and even voting processes have changed
to be more expedited, transparent, and trackable. And with our
website posting every move, constituents and lobbyists can move as
fast as we can to see the results of all our efforts!
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