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In an annual rite of passage, elected leaders who won their first offices in November shared a meal with longtime elected leaders who are leaving their posts during an afternoon capped by a talk with former prominent statewide office holders.
The occasion on Friday, December 6, was the Annual Regional Leadership Awards Luncheon, hosted by the Schar School of Policy and Government’s Regional Elected Leaders Initiative (RELI), a resource for elected officials to turn to for training and education throughout their elected service.”
This year’s lunch, held at George Mason University’s Mason Square in Arlington, Virginia, featured a discussion moderated by Schar School dean Mark J. Rozell with former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell (R) and former attorney general of Virginia Mark R. Herring (D).
But this was a “welcome to the new job” onboarding presentation and Rozell focused on the positive aspects of public service, affording the elder statesmen opportunities to impart advice about the importance of collaboration and how to do it skillfully.
At the outset, McDonnell remarked that the historic “Virginia way” of governing has changed substantially and he barely recognizes how governance is performed in the commonwealth. At one point he read from his phone a long quote from his political hero, George Washington, who anticipated the rise of bitter partisanship and the kind of moral character it takes to erode confidence in government.
Herring said he envied those newly elected leaders who will serve in local offices that have direct impacts on the citizens of their jurisdictions, adding that his most fulfilling position was serving in the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors from 2000 to 2003.
When Rozell asked the panelists to offer their best advice to the audience, McDonnell suggested “now is a great opportunity to lay down the arms” and invited the new leaders to remember the Golden Rule of treating others as you have them treat you, a credo that seems to have been discarded by many.
Herring offered advice that was given to him by an early mentor who warned that while he knew the needs of his constituents from knocking on thousands of doors and hearing their stories, it was important to remember why you ran in the first place as the pace and demands of the job could divert his focus.
“So I made a list of the bigger things I wanted to accomplish during my term and laminated it and kept it at my desk,” he said. He believes it worked for him and it could work for others.
As for political regionalism that puts local jurisdictions over the greater good, McDonnell beseeched politicians to make an effort to build genuine relationships with colleagues from other areas.
“It’s harder to demonize them when you know them well,” he said.
This year’s honorees included:
- Virginia Senator Adam Ebbin
- Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Jeff McKay
- Fairfax County School Board Member Ilryong Moon
- Executive Director of the Northern Virginia Regional Commission Robert Lazaro
The RELI was founded in 2018 by codirectors Jay Fisette and Mary Hynes, both longtime former Arlington County office holders who perceived a need for nonpartisan, unbiased education and mentoring of newly elected leaders throughout Northern Virginia. In the past year, RELI hosted webinars on ranked choice voting, public education, affordable housing and childcare, rail transportation, data centers, and other topics vital to the citizens of the region.