Video: Can bipartisanship survive the rise of the independent voter?

Friday was my last day working for the New York State Assembly. While finishing my Master of Laws at Columbia, only a month after leaving the military following ten years as a Naval Aviator, I saw on LinkedIn that an Assembly member was looking for a District Director. I applied for the job, got it, and, with a semester to go, took it. It was my first job out of the military, and it was absolutely wonderful. At a time when trust in government is lower than it's been in almost seventy years, I was part of a team that made me believe, more than ever, that government can be a force for good. I want you to believe it, too.

My boss was the kind of politician one dreams of: hardworking, earnest, and incredibly smart. He was an absolute model of public service and neighborliness, who grounded us in the mission that anyone who ever came into contact with our office should walk away with more faith in government. He did his best to show up everywhere and for everyone; I watched him give every ounce of himself to serving his constituents in Manhattan and representing them in Albany. Sometimes they called and complained anyway. Most who observed his effort became enamored. I can say confidently that New York is better for having had him in the state legislature.