Staffing, and Committees

With special guest, Al Felzenberg

Jeff Adler CT D Commerce

Brian Gadsden CA D Commerce

Liz Montoya NM D Commerce

Shawn Murphy MA D Commerce

Edward Novakoff MA D Commerce

Stephen Aldridge VA R Commerce

Will Fitzgerald FL R Commerce

Tim Heis OH R Commerce

Larry Harris MA D Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Rebekah Lynn CA D Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Tony Pipa NC D Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Ryan Raffaelli CA D Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Christopher Reichert MA D Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Francis Spangenberg NY D Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Kevin Crawford MO R Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Lance Jasper CA R Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Brad Rosen NJ R Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Alex Veytsman VA R Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Shermon Williams NC R Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Sara Dawes NY D Energy and Natural Resources

Kent Grasso WA D Energy and Natural Resources

Carrie LaCrosse OR D Energy and Natural Resources

Rafael Lopez CA D Energy and Natural Resources

Stefan Reindl MA D Energy and Natural Resources

Kwang Ryu CA D Energy and Natural Resources

John Atilano CA R Energy and Natural Resources

Scott Gallaway NJ R Energy and Natural Resources

Sylvia Hartleif ID R Energy and Natural Resources

Jason Jennaro OR R Energy and Natural Resources

Betsy Hosler OH D Foreign Affairs and National Defense

Ben Kidder CO D Foreign Affairs and National Defense

Carie Lemack MA D Foreign Affairs and National Defense

Lance Pierce NJ D Foreign Affairs and National Defense

Robert Schwartz MO D Foreign Affairs and National Defense

Cynthia Smith NY D Foreign Affairs and National Defense

Brooke Brody-Waite CA R Foreign Affairs and National Defense

Jonathan Durfield CA R Foreign Affairs and National Defense

Trenton Hamilton FL R Foreign Affairs and National Defense

Joyce Hayes TX R Foreign Affairs and National Defense

John Prior IN R Foreign Affairs and National Defense

David Burd NY D Health and Human Services

Katherine Elliott NY D Health and Human Services

Meredith Fascett SC D Health and Human Services

Rosemary Marotta CA D Health and Human Services

Yasmina Vinci CA D Health and Human Services

Kate Ferguson CT R Health and Human Services

Luke Leininger CA R Health and Human Services

Zeb Portanova FL R Health and Human Services

Rebecca Goldenberg Reporter Energy and Natural Resources

Lonsdale Green Reporter Health and Human Services

Jeremy Neuner Reporter Foreign Affairs and National Defense

Seth Pendleton Reporter Commerce

Beth Trask Reporter Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Carolyn Kousky Lobbyist Energy and Natural Resources

Dan McKee Lobbyist Commerce

Patrick Purcell Lobbyist Health and Human Services

Kara Stein Lobbyist Criminal Justice and Legal Resources

Elizabeth Walentin Lobbyist Foreign Affairs and National Defense

Setting Course: A Congressional Management

Guide-Congressional Management Foundation

Personal Staff Positions

• Washington Staff– Caseworker, 12.2 yrs, 50k– Chief of Staff, 10.2, 95k– Federal Grants Coordinator, 8.2, 50k– Legislative Director, 8.0, 75k– Scheduler, 6.6, 45k– Systems Manager, 6.3, 40k– Correspondence Manager, 5.7, 38k– Press Secretary, 3.5, 55k– Legislative Assistant, 3.3, 45k– Legislative Correspondent, 1.6, 30k

District Staff Positions

• District Director, 6.1yrs, 75k

• Caseworker, 5.6yrs, 39k

• District Scheduler, 4.4, 42k

• Field Representative, 4.3, 45k

• Clerk, Secretary, 3.1, 31k

Strategic Planning

• Learning how to strategically say “NO”• Sensible, flexible set of overall goals• Provides purpose and direction for office• Cannot address many questions without

articulating your strategic plan– First year budget– Legislative agenda– Scheduling objectives– Press plan– Job Descriptions

Benefits of the Plan

• Clear Priorities

• Looking at “the big picture”

• Forward thinking instead of reactive

• Processes that allocate scarce resources

• Improving coordination

• Reducing frustration of staff

• Ability to measure progress

Planning Process

• Time Frame– Two year plan with annual meetings– Conduct from Nov.-Mar. to take advantage of

legislative break

• Mission Statement– Clearly defined broad yet distinctive goals– Written– More focus = more direction

Planning Process

• Developing Goals– Short term vehicles to pursue the broad

themes of the mission statement

• Evaluating Potential GoalsAbility to Achieve

High Low

High

Low

Impact1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Ability to AchieveHigh

Planning Process• Developing Action Plans

– Strategies to achieve a goal– List three specific actions to achieve a goal– Goal v. Functionally-Oriented Action Plans

• Implementation– Written and distributed to staff– Update and fine-tune

• Frequent ad hoc planning meetings• Weekly or monthly progress reports• Monthly strategic planning meetings• Quarterly senior management meetings• Timelines

Budgeting & Financial Management

• Annual Size: $1.2 million for Reps.; $2.2-$3.7 million for Senators

• Decide on:– Staff number– Salary for each staffer– Number of district offices– Type of computer system to operate– Travel– Mail– Professional training

Avoiding Financial Problems

• Don’t spend on the wrong things– Consider how purchase affects long-term

goals

• Don’t spend more than you have– Member is personally liable for excess

expenditures– May need to forego later expenditures

• Don’t give the media reason to scrutinize– Expenditure reports are public information

Budgeting Toward Your Goals

1. Note any changes to your strategic plan or office priorities

2. Brainstorm: What resources will it take to accomplish the revised priorities

3. Look at last year’s budget with an eye toward surprises

4. Take note of the rules changes5. Determine variable and fixed costs6. Critically review major allocations7. Build a new month-by-month budget reflecting

changes

Financial Procedures• Written Office Policies

– Avoid questions and inconsistency, write policies on paper and provide to staff

• Accounting System– Record Keeping: track paperwork– Payment Processing: determine who can authorize

expenditures, set rules for travel spending, establish a good relationship with the Finance Office employees

– Reconciliation: monthly financial statements– Auditing: review financial expenditures

• Monthly Financial Review

Implementing Performance Management for Staff

Step 1: Establish Performance Goals for Each Staff

Step 2: Provide Feedback and Coaching During the Year

Step 3: Conduct Formal Evaluations

Step 4: Follow Up to Prepare Each Staffer for the Upcoming Year

Step 5: Reward High Performing Staff

Challenges

• Staff have different needs– Keeping star-performers motivated– Addressing sub-par performers

• Managing District/Capitol Office Relations– The offices perform different functions– Communication is imperative

Managing Ethics

• Gray Area: Gap between technical compliance and behaving in a manner consistent with the public’s expectations for public officials

• Institutional: House Committee on Standards & Official Conduct, Senate Select Committee on Ethics

• In practice: Ethics reviewed on the front-page or the evening news

Ethics Lesson

“An office that never proofreads letters runs a high risk of typographical errors. Similarly, an office that does not give adequate attention to managing ethics runs a high risk of ethical lapse.”

Guidelines

• There is a difference between not violating the rules and being ethical– Examine every ethics rule with an eye to

understanding its underlying principle– Use the ethics committee as a resource

before you get into trouble

• Don’t assume smart, honest people will always make correct ethical judgments– Develop clear, written policies for staff to

follow

Guidelines

• The Member sets the ethical tone for the office– Consciously set a high ethical tone, lead by

example

• Staff (tend to be young and inexperienced) may avoid questions on ethical grounds– Create policies that give staff license to raise

questions with other staff, management and the Member

Guidelines

• Good ethics frequently conflicts with what is quick, easy, and politically expedient– Ethics should be part of every decision a

Member will make

Questions for Political/Ethical Analysis

• What are the relevant House rules?• What are the principles underlying the rules?• What is the politically advantageous course of action?• From an ethical perspective, what is the right course of

action?• What is the source of tension inherent in the situation?• What is the full range of options available?• What are the likely consequences of those options?• Which of these options could not be effectively defended if

they became public?• Of the remaining options, which best balances political and

ethical interests