Day with Representative Bolding

WDEA Member Sarah Bennett met with Legislative District 27 Representative Reginald Bolding over Spring Break!  Bennett wrote a wonderful account of her meeting with Bolding and her Spring Break Capital Visit.  

My Day with Representative Reginald Bolding

I step out of my car thinking of all my memories at the capitol. All of the rallies, all of my visits to legislative committee hearings, camping on the Capitol lawn--they all symbolize democracy in action, and solidarity with my colleagues and others working toward a common goal. But today I am here for a different reason. I have an appointment to shadow Representative Reginald Bolding from Legislative District 27, my home district. All of the legislators in LD27 are solid education advocates, but Bolding, a former special education teacher, is somewhat of a rockstar among us. You may recall him stating during last year’s budget debate, “you can’t set a house on fire, call 911 and claim to be a hero.” He was referring to the Governor’s proposed budget, which included a raise for teachers just weeks after the Governor had claimed there was no such room in the budget.

I arrive, wearing red, a little early. The waiting chairs by the security desk are too deep to sit in comfortably and I am sweating from the walk up two flights of stairs in heels (I don’t know why I didn’t use the elevator). Eventually a woman comes out through the double doors and introduces herself as Nikki, Rep. Bolding’s assistant. I had spoken to her on the phone several times and exchanged several emails. She is a kind, middle-aged woman in black slacks and a teal sweater. She offers me trail mix and a water. Bolding is in a leadership meeting that is running late, she tells me, and I shouldn’t need to wait too much longer. No problem, actually. More time to dry the accumulating sweat.   

Click HERE to read more about her adventures!