I met with Representative Claire Levy this afternoon for an hour to hear what she was doing. So here's the report from the Representative of the People's Republic of Boulder.
We talked first about the cell phone bill. She brought it up figuring it would get defeated but that it was "worth the old college try." And now she finds it out of committee and that calls and emails are overwhelmingly supportive. So a pleasant surprise and a great example about why a bill that is a good idea should always be brought forward.
She then talked a bit about a day in the life of a legislator, what they do each day and clearly thinks people do not understand a lot of what goes into the job. (She's right - most people have no idea what the job is like.) She discussed a bit of the details about how a lot of the day is swallowed up by people who come by to talk from constituents to interest groups to lobbyists to fellow legislators. She was not positive or negative about it - just that it is a large part of the job.
She then went on to talk about being a committee chair and that she hadn't realized how much work being chair was. So a bit of discussion about that. I found this humorous in that she wishes people knew more about what goes into the job she does, yet she had no idea what the job of a chair was until she got one. We all see our own work much more clearly than that of others.
And then it was discussing the bills in front of her and what needs to be done. There was some minor discussion of judicial issues - I don't know if this came up due to her interest or because she chairs the judicial committee. My guess is the committee because all of these were items that fall under her committee.
But the large discussion, the one she kept returning to, the one that had her animated, was handling transportation in a way to effect better social outcomes. Charging developers for their impact on state highways when they build new developments. Changing car insurance to be by the mile to discourage optional trips. Other items in this vein.
Clearly this is what really charges her up. It's pricing in the true cost of actions rather than letting some get a free ride on society as a whole. And in that sense it's a very free market approach to these issues. But what it also does is change what people will do and it means less sprawl out into the plains and more dense infill. It means fewer trips in the car and the trips that occur are shorter.
I think Claire represents the new face of the Democratic party with her approach, pricing in all the external costs of actions so that the market can then get people to make a choice based on all the costs of their action. I definitely think we're well served having a legislator who is trying to bring this approach to our laws.
The other very interesting thing is something that never came up - Higher Ed. If Claire was a hack politician then as the rep for Boulder, Higher Ed funding would have been a major topic. Instead not a word. Now I would prefer that Higher Ed was a priority for her (and every other legislator). But it's also nice to know she is working on what she thinks is key rather than trying to just suck in the most dollars for Boulder. We need legislators who look at whats best for our society.
The conversation then ended in a most unusual way. She started drilling me on what I do and how the state can help my business. It was interesting because on a number of items there really is no impact. For example we may get laws about providing health insurance or a minimum number of days off - but as a software company we already do that.
But she did keep drilling and we did find a place or two where the state might have some interest. What was interesting was that she was not going to drop this topic of conversation until she found something where the state might have some impact on my business. I think it speaks to a drive on her part to see how she can help people in her district.
And I think this is the distinguishing characteristic of Claire Levy - she is going to make things better for you through her efforts as a legislator. She will save the life of someone you know who is not run over by some idiot on a cell phone driving. She is going to steer you to buy a house in a location that requires less driving. She is going to connect you with someone who needs your product to make your company successful.
It's Reps like Claire that make me dislike term limits.
