Back at the Capitol - but in New Roles
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Sen. John Miller and Del. Brenda Pogge became elected officials for the first time Wednesday as the General Assembly gathered in Richmond for the start of a new year.
But Virginia's halls of political power aren't totally new for either. Miller, D-Newport News, started covering the legislature in 1972 as a local television news reporter. Pogge, R-York, has lobbied for conservative causes at the Capitol. However, the bustle of writing and revising state laws and working on a two-year spending plan can get overwhelming. |
"Sometimes, it's like having one foot on a banana peel and one foot on a roller skate," Pogge said.
Pogge and Miller are part of a wave of new faces in Richmond this year, after a tough election when all 140 lawmakers were on the ballot. In all, there are 10 freshmen in the House of Delegates and nine in the Senate.
That amount of turnover makes for some uncertainty. It's unclear how the new members will fit into the mix, and with Democrats now in control of the Senate, no one is completely sure how the two legislative bodies will work together.
But most of the political wrangling was put aside Wednesday as friends and family members packed into the Capitol to watch lawmakers take their oaths of office.
Perched in the House balcony were four of Pogge's five children, along with three of her grandchildren.
"I'm not an emotional person, but I was looking around, asking for tissues," Pogge said.
Pogge has been active in Peninsula conservative circles for years. In 2006, she came to Richmond to rally support for the constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage in Virginia.
Pogge said she faced a wave of new experiences since she shifted from advocate to candidate last year.
She spent much of the opening-day session observing and huddling frequently with a pair of local legislators seated nearby.
Del. G. Glenn Oder, R-Newport News, is on her immediate right, and next in line is her General Assembly mentor, Del. Phil Hamilton, R-Newport News.
"I'm glad they put me there," Pogge said.
Pogge said the first day wasn't too overwhelming because new lawmakers went through a two-day orientation last week with mock committee meetings and a tutorial on the state computer system.
Down the hall, Miller was taking a seat formerly held by late Sen. Hunter Andrews.
Andrews was a Hampton Democrat who — as Finance Committee chairman — was one of the state's most powerful lawmakers.
"It's an incredible honor," Miller said, noting that Andrews' widow, Cynthia, was one of his guests.
"To have her sitting on the floor and being sworn in for what was Hunter Andrews' seat was extremely special for me."
Miller is a former Little League umpire, a fact in his biography that Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling noted in welcoming him to the Senate.
"I suspect that your experience as an umpire will come in handy," Bolling said.
"I hope you won't have to eject anybody."
Mrs. Andrews said she was pleased to return to the Senate chamber.
During an unusually long break in the floor proceedings, she fondly recalled her late husband's strict mastery of parliamentary proceedings.
"This is dragging on too long," she said with a smile.
"These guys are wandering around and not doing a darn thing."
Published in the Daily Press on January 10, 2008
Article by Hugh Lessig and Kimball Payne