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| ROBERT WHITE, II (His wife, Christy on his left) formally announcing his candidacy for an at-large seat on the DC Council. (Picture Courtesy of Robert White) |
I first met Rob on the Hill back in 2009 while working as a staffer on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He was working for Delegate Norton (I also "staffed" for Delegate Norton back in 2000), who is a member of the committee, and Rob advised her on issues pertinent to the committee. Being that I "clerked" committee hearings, I would always see Rob standing against the wall near where I was sitting, in case Del. Norton needed to seek his advice and counsel. I also communicated with him, and other staffers concerning committee-related business. After awhile, you get to know people. You talk to them about life outside the ivory walls of the Hill. I was always impressed by how Rob dressed (I always used to say to myself, "Damn...I need to step my suit-game up!!!"), and how he always seemed to stay cool under pressure. That's something that is hard to do in our field, especially when working for arguably the busiest Member of Congress. He was always pleasant, nice, had a swagger about him without being pretentious. He was also a source of support. I remember a time where he had a really long markup, which is a hearing where bills referred to the committee can be amended. Markups can be short, but they can also be incredibly long. One night, our committee had a really difficult and partisan markup. A lot of amendments were being put forth, and I didn't have as much experience clerking them. I didn't eat much that day, I was tired, and I was nervous. I was passing out amendments to the members when it was called upon me to do so. I remember I handed the wrong thing to the wrong committee member, I remember sweating a lot, and I even tripped. As each amendment was called, I would again get up, pass the amendments around to the members, and praying that the markup would end. Obviously, people could read my face and knew that I didn't want to be doing this. I mention all of this to say, that Rob was one of the few people to encourage me to keep at it, and that I was doing a good job. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but to me, it meant a great deal, and it helped me get through the rest of the markup. EMPATHY and COMPASSION!!! Some thing that is often not found in the halls of Congress. If he acted that way towards me, just think about how he can bring that same level of empathy and compassion towards the citizens of the District of Columbia. Rob continues to show support for me since I lost my job on the Hill back in 2011 as a result of the Republican takeover of the House. We talk on Facebook, debating fellow "Facebook-ers" on the importance of civic involvement. He has helped me with job leads. He has offered prayers to myself and my family. So when Rob told me that he was running for council, and invited me to his announcement, I enthusiastically accepted the invitation.
The District of Columbia needs a guy like Rob. Someone who is from DC and about DC. A charismatic young man who will use empathy and compassion as an engine for social and political change. A lawyer and former congressional staffer, Rob will use his knowledge of the law and politics to uplift the community. I'm not a DC resident. I'm a child of Virginia, but DC is my city. I was born and raised in the DC Metropolitan Area. When DC prospers, Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland benefits. When Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland prospers, DC benefits. We need elected officials in this region that can represent their constituencies, but also have the common sense to know that we rise and fall as a region. Rob has the personality to work with other elected officials in the region on issues that are mutually beneficial to the entire DC Metropolitan Area. Like the Winans song goes...."IT'S TIME, TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE, WE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO CAN DO IT!!!". It is time for the citizens of DC to make a change, and they are the people who can do it.
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| Hill Staffers Reunited. Myself and Rob at his campaign announcement (Picture Courtesy of Marc Johnson) |
If you are a DC Resident, I ask that you click HERE to check out his campaign website. Find out what Rob is about, the positive plans that he has for the District, and help financially support the campaign. You can also follow the campaign on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RobertWhiteAtLarge and Twitter: https://twitter.com/robertwhiteatlg. Help Rob help DC, and elect him as the next At-Large Councilman for the District of Columbia. Pray for Rob, his beautiful wife,Christy, Rob's family, and the great people of the District of Columbia.
AND THAT IS THE MARC-UP!!!
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