Jeff Gudman: Lessons Learned in Elective Office
If you do not care who gets the credit, there is no limit to what can be accomplished.
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Jeff Gudman served on the Lake Oswego City Council from 2011 to 2018. He ran as the Republican candidate for Treasurer in 2016 and 2020.
After eight years in elective office and two runs for Oregon State Treasurer, I’ve learned a few lessons about what it takes to be successful in elected office. This is not an all-inclusive list, nor do I pretend what works for me will work for everyone. The lessons are, however, in my judgement consistent with The Oregon Way of moving forward.
Lesson One – “If We Do This, What Don’t We Do.”
Eight simple words, but with profound impacts. Every idea has its supporters and every idea has its benefits and costs. Since local, regional, and state governments do not have a money tree in the back yard, by definition one can not do everything. Therefore, when any elected official talks about being in favor of this or that, ask the eight simple words - If We Do This, What Don’t We Do. Doing so either ends the conversation or it moves the conversation to a more productive place. How an elected official answers the question also lets you know if they have done their homework.
Lesson Two – Mastery of Budget/Finance or Planning or Law.
To be a successful elected official it helps, prior to elected office, having mastery in ether financial matters, planning principles, or legal issues. This is not to say that a person cannot be successful without mastery in finance, planning, or the law—just that is it more difficult. This is also not to say that we ought to be a government of “experts,” only that, like any other job, being a policymaker requires certain skills. Notice that I used the term “policymaker” and not “politician.” The latter is too tied up with connotations of celebrity and other attributes that do nothing to help a government reach sound policy decisions.
Lesson Three – Getting to a Majority and More.
In, for example, a seven-person elected body, four votes gets a “win.” But getting to a majority is the first step, not the final step. The goal should be unanimity or, in the case of a seven-person body, getting to five or preferably six votes. Therefore, once you know have a simple majority go to work on getting to unanimity. Know how much you are willing to “give up” to get to unanimity. A good result is where everyone gets something, but no one gets everything.
Lesson Four - Seek Out People Who Disagree with You.
Someone telling you that you are “the greatest thing sliced bread” is intoxicating and flattering, but it may not be helpful. Avoid thinking right makes right – the other side thinks that to. Seeking out and talking to people who disagree with you accomplishes three things: One, you might be mistaken in your thinking; Two, you have an opportunity to persuade someone to your point of view; and, Three, you establish a relationship with that person(s) that can help you in future discussions of issues.
Lesson Five – Inform and Persuade.
In a calm and reasoned manner, use all available means to inform and persuade not only your fellow elected officials, but the general public. As President Lincoln said, “In this and like communities, public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed. Consequently, he who molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. He makes statutes and decisions possible or impossible to be executed.”
An elected official should use as many vehicles as possible to inform and persuade. Additionally, the elected official who proactively engages with the public lets people know what they are thinking. That sort of transparency benefits both the elected official and the public at large.
Lesson Six – Three Elements of Argument.
The ancient Greeks had it right when it comes to argument (informing and persuading). They expressed three elements of argumentation: ethos (your philosophy), logos (the logic of the argument), and pathos (telling a story that appeals to your emotion). All three (philosophy, logic, emotion) are needed. The most powerful is the emotion. But emotion must be built upon the philosophy and the logic of the idea.
Employing all three aspects raises the quality of your argument without raising your voice and prevents you from solely pandering to people’s emotions—a tendency that’s all too common in this era of outrage. Recall that President Lincoln also said that if you have eight hours to chop down a tree, spend the first seven sharpening your axe. Before you take your argument into “battle,” sharpen it by running it through all three of these elements.
Lesson Seven - Distrust Passionate Intensity and Bold Simplicity.
Passionate intensity and bold simplicity, on occasion, have their place. The dangers of a passionate intensity or bold simplicity is to lose sight of and the acknowledgement of trade-offs and nuance in every policy. To avoid this danger, practice self-restraint, intellectual openness, and equanimity. This is a simple proposition, but it can be difficult to execute in practice. When someone is “in your face” the cooler and more self-restrained you must be. Eventually, the storm peters out and a conversation can occur. Be the patient one.
Lesson Eight – Who Gets Credit.
If you do not care who gets the credit, there is no limit to what can be accomplished. Be secret and exult. For example, Representative Paul Hanneman is arguably the father of the beach bill. You’ve probably never heard of him.
Lesson Nine – Be Socially Adventurous.
Take a genuine and continuing interest in people. Take a joy in people. Everyone has stories to tell. We have two ears and one mouth. Most of the time, they should be used in that proportion.
Taken together, these nine lessons are what I believe “The Oregon Way” is all about.
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Such a wonderful primer! This should be printed out and posted on the office of every lawmaker! Thank you.
H. Ford "I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done."