“And I suppose I am. In certain ways.”
“For instance?’
“I don’t like wasting money.”
“A lot of politicians say that.”
“But most of them still throw it away on useless government projects.”
“We’re probably all aware—”
“And that’s not how I operate, either as a member of the Council or as a mother at home. If my family and I can’t afford something, we don’t buy it. Even when we want a special present for one of the children, we never spend what we don’t have. And I try to apply that same principle to our city budget.”
“Many politicians claim to agree with you, but when they get into office, they somehow let our money fly out the window—”
“That’s a trend I want to change.”
“I hope you succeed.”
“Thanks. By the way, if I may correct you, I don’t think of myself as a politician. Something about that word bothers me—”
“I guess it does have some unpleasant implications.”
“A lot of ‘em.”
“Of course, you have to admit that you do work in politics—”
“I prefer to call it ‘public service.’”
¶ ¶ ¶
“Councilwoman Cassie McClellan has announced that she will be a candidate for State Assembly . . .”
“Welcome to the show, Ms. McClellan. Now for those listeners to whom yours is a new voice, could you tell us about your background?”
“Well, I moved here three years ago with my husband and children.”
“And what does Mr. McClellan do?”
“He’s a—”
“It is Mr. McClellan, isn’t it?”
“It certainly is.”
“Because these days you never know.”
“I understand, but I guess I’m an old-fashioned girl, because I was more than happy to take my husband’s name.”
“Just checking. Please go on. You were explaining what he does.”
“Phil is a Vice-President for Human Resources at the Crandall Corporation.”
“Quite an important position.”
“I’m very proud of him.”
“Now, apart from your work on the Council, do you have a job?”
“You mean outside my home?”
“Exactly.”
“Ben, my primary responsibility is taking care of my family, and to my mind that’s a full-time career, as well as the most important one I know—”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that women—”
“I’m sure you didn’t. But remember: we homemakers work just as hard . . . maybe harder . . . than anyone else.”
“Of course you do. And I certainly hope I didn’t offend any of our female listeners—”
“But to answer your question, before my children came along, I did explore another field.”
“Could you tell us—”
“After I earned my Master’s degree in Art History, I was both a college instructor and a museum curator—”
“That must have been a fascinating—”
“It was. And I loved my work. But when my husband and I decided to have a family, we agreed that I would stay at home full-time and concentrate on raising our kids.”
“Do you consider that decision a sacrifice?”
“Some people may see it that way, but for us it was simply a matter of establishing priorities. We’ve always believed that the first few years of a child’s life are crucial. And to us nothing’s more vital than the well-being of our children.”
“How old are they now?”
“Emily is eleven, and Ethan is six.”
“Classic American names.”
“That’s what we wanted.”
“Both are in school, I trust.”
“They are.”
“And over the years you’ve supported them by giving time to a variety of parent-teacher initiatives.”
“As a mother, I think I have that responsibility.”
“In fact, it was one particular moment at a School Board meeting when you spoke urgently about a matter of . . . was it curriculum—”
“It was.”
“. . . which first brought you a certain measure of fame.”
“I’m not sure I’d use that word—”
“That’s also when the opportunity to participate more fully presented itself—”
“And that’s when I realized that here was another way to serve my community.”
“Commendable, indeed.”
“You’re very kind.”
“We’ll be right back.”
¶ ¶ ¶
“Assemblywoman Cassie McClellan appeared today at the opening of the new mini-mall on Crescent Avenue, where she spoke to a crowd of grateful residents.”
“I am so happy to be with you!”
“Yay!”
“Because this wonderful place is a tribute to the power of both the individual and the community.”
“Yay!”
“For a long time we’ve dreamed that this vision would come to life, but it wasn’t until we stopped waiting for government handouts that we made progress. That’s when we raised money by ourselves, found private and corporate donors by ourselves, and made this place happen. BY OURSELVES!!”
“Yay!”
“So I think we all deserve a big round of applause!”
“Yay!”
“C’mon, give yourselves a real hand!”
“YAY!”
“Cassie, Cassie, Cassie!”
“Run, run, run!”
“Thank you so much!”
“Run, Cassie, run!”
“Thank you! You make a girl feel really appreciated!”
“Yay!”
“And that’s why I have some advice . . . or maybe it’s a warning . . .”
“Hah-hah!”
“. . . for our leaders in Washington and in our own state capitol. Stop throwing away our money on useless pork projects! Let us keep more of it in our own pockets! Then let us decide how to spend it!”
“Yay!”
“And I promise you that we’ll do a lot better job than the fat cats!”
“Cassie, Cassie, Cassie!”
“Run,