My freshman colleague is already thinking ahead.

“Do I have to co-sponsor bills that are controversial in my district?” he asked me at lunch.

“Absolutely not,” I told him. “Co-sponsorship is the biggest waste of time in Annapolis. What counts is having a member advocating for your bill in the committee room where it happens.”

The best politics is to do your job well.

If your constituents know that you work hard and gave it a lot of thought before you cast a vote they disagree with, they won’t hold that vote against you.

—

I attended a training session on sexual harassment in this workplace, the General Assembly.
Attendance is mandatory for all members.

Much of the discussion was part of “Interactive Exercises.”

As the new House of Delegates chair of the Joint Committee on Legislative Ethics, from now on I won’t be dealing with exercises but real complaints.