|
I did a lot of work with politicians when I was appointed the Executive Director of the Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, tasked with overseeing city elections against fraud and policing city officials for various misdeeds. We got involved with mob infiltration of an election, opposed the Socialist Worker's Party when they asked us to mask identities of their members when they contributed, and had to deal with some wayward judges who went to Hawaii for a 3-day judges conference and then forgot to attend any of the sessions.
One council member, unhappy that I had filed charges against him for a conflict of interest, called me "the most powerful--yet unelected--politician in Seattle." The Socialists claimed I was an "arch conservative former Boeing executive," which some here may find amusing. The job was basically a non-stop hoot, and is one job I wish I'd never left. Left when I was offered a 600% percent pay bump to go back to corporate life. Big mistake.
Saw enough of politicians and their antics to never want to be one myself, but the process was interesting.
|