[From Autumn 1997 issue of A&S Perspectives]

Seattle Mayor Norman B. Rice is a busy man. Before he leaves office in January, he'll attend hundreds of meetings, receptions, and briefings. But he's made time for one very special event in October: the College Luncheon, at which he will receive the Arts and Sciences Distinguished Achievement Award. The award is presented to an exceptional alumnus each year.

"I'm deeply flattered and honored," says Rice. "To come back to your university and be recognized as a distinguished alumnus--you can't ask for anything better."

While shaping our region for the past two decades, Rice has discovered fellow Arts and Sciences alumni in nearly every level of government. Former U.S. Representative Tom Foley is an A&S graduate, as is Congressman Norm Dicks. Nearly half of the King County Council hails from Arts and Sciences. Add the movers and shakers who work behind the scenes, and the College's impact on the political landscape is undeniable. Yet beyond their shared experience at the UW, each alumnus cites markedly different motivations for entering politics.

If At First You Don't Succeed . . .

Norm Rice credits his siblings with jump-starting his political career. "As the youngest and smallest of four kids, I learned negotiation and compromise at an early age," he jokes. By high school, he was student body president, and a career in politics seemed likely. Then he headed for college and it all fell apart.

"I flunked out," he explains bluntly, recalling his short-lived career at University of Colorado. "It was devastating. I stayed out of school for the next five years."

Seattle Mayor Norm Rice

Rice finally returned to school in the late 60s, attending the UW as a communications major. During that period, he interned at KIXI radio, reporting on local government. "That helped me to re-engage in the olitical fabric of the city," he recalls. "As a reporter, people open their doors to you in a way they don't in any other career. It was a turning point."

Rice returned to the UW for a master's degree in public affairs and worked at a series of jobs that helped to build his leadership skills and contacts in the community. When a seat became available on the Seattle City Council in 1978, he decided to run for the position. He won, and the rest is history.

Not that it's been an easy path. Rice has suffered his share of failures, including his first run for mayor in 1985 and an attempt at Congress in 1988. "Any time you jump into a race, it's a tough decision," he says. "You are scrutinized on every level. It is a job interview of sorts, but a very public one. There's not a more empty feeling than when you are rejected by the public. The big thing is not to get mad but to ask, 'What could I do differently?' Then you can learn from the experience."

And learn he did. Rice ran for mayor again in '89 and won handily, making history as the first African American mayor in a predominantly white city. During two terms in office, he has focused on a myriad of issues including improving the city's schools, reducing crime, and revitalizing the downtown hub. His advice to budding politicians? Be consistent. "Nothing is worse than to see someone who is all over the map on the issues," he says. "If you are true to your values, that will last you in the long term. If you focus on polling results and on wedge issues-the issues that make people angry-you can exploit those and win, but I think it's folly. Where is the vision?"

And there's one other thing, says Rice: keep laughing. "You can't take yourself too seriously. I figure if I don't laugh at least once every day, I've got a problem. I make a lot of fun of myself. It's easy to get full of yourself when you are a public figure. You have to remember that you aren't imperial or regal."

A Strategist with Winning Ways

Unlike Norm Rice, Randy Pepple has never been a public figure. And that suits him just fine. Behind the scenes, however, Pepple has had a major influence on the Northwest's political landscape.

Pepple currently serves as Chief of Staff to U.S. Representative Rick White but has spent the bulk of his career running political campaigns for such Republican stalwarts as Rod Chandler, Tim Hill, and John Miller. His first political memory, at age 13, is handing out buttons for Scoop Jackson's first presidential bid in 1976. "That was the first and last Democrat I've worked for," he remarks.

By the time he graduated from the UW in 1984 with a B.A. in political science, Pepple knew he'd pursue a career in politics. Former classmates may remember his political column, "The Right Way," which ran in The Daily in 1983. "I was the token conservative on The Daily in those days," he explains.

Pepple began working on political campaigns immediately after college, quickly rising through the ranks from volunteer to field director to campaign manager on various races. "Other than my job ending in November every year for six straight years, it was a great situation," says Pepple, who lost nary a race. He chose campaign work, he explains, because he felt he could have the greatest impact by helping to elect multiple people rather than working on one leader's staff.

What does it take to run a successful campaign? "Knowing how to make decisions is the crucial element," says Pepple. "Some people get bogged down making serial decisions-the small ones that come up every day, which are unlikely to impact the race. That's disastrous. But there are also crucial decisions, like whether to run certain TV ads, that can cost you the election. It's important to know how to make all kinds of decisions and to recognize which are crucial and which are not."

In 1992, Pepple joined The Madison Group in Bellevue (founded by A&S alumni Steve Sego and Brett Bader) as the firm's director of political affairs, advising on multiple campaigns in Washington and Oregon. Two years later he decided to forego more campaign work--at least temporarily--when Rick White asked him to join his office as chief of staff.

"When the Republicans became the majority, it became more appealing to me to work on the governing side rather than the campaigning side," Pepple explains. "I felt that we could actually put into place some of the things we'd been mentioning in campaign brochures for years." Pepple describes the position as akin to being president of a company, with the congressman serving as CEO. "My job is to look over the entire operation and have the long-range vision for where we should be heading," he explains.

During his college years, Pepple thought he might run for elected office someday. Not anymore. "The life of an elected official is not a good one," he says. "Not only are your motives always in question, but your schedule is unbearable. Rick White is on a plane almost every weekend, traveling between D.C. and Washington state."

Pepple suspects that he has one more campaign in him. The pace, he says, really suits him. "It's filled with peaks and valleys. Every day there is a new crisis, which may not matter the next day. But it is a tremendous high to win an election-especially when it is unexpected. It validates everything you've been working toward."

A Scientist Finds a Home in Politics

Kent Pullen knows something about winning elections. He's served as an elected official for the past 25 years, first in the state legislature and now on the King County Council. Not bad for a scientist. Pullen earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from the UW in 1967.

How did a chemist end up in politics? It makes perfect sense, says Pullen. "I've always been interested in solving problems," he explains, "whether they are problems in the science laboratory or in the social science arena. Both fields involve the same logical thinking skills."

	King County Councilman Kent Pullen meets with a high school student.

Even as a recent Ph.D. graduate working as a mechanical engineer at Boeing, Pullen thought he might run for office someday. But that "someday" came earlier than anticipated, thanks to statewide redistricting in 1972. Pullen learned that his new South King County district had no incumbents, so "I figured that it would be a good time to run," he says.

Evidently so. That year, Pullen was elected as a Washington state representative in a close election. Two years later he ran again; this time his goal was a seat in the state senate. "I considered the senate preferable because it is smaller and I could have more of a voice as a minority member--which I was at that time," he explains. "Also, the term is four years rather than two years, which is a definite advantage."

Pullen spent 15 years serving in the state senate while holding down his engineering job at Boeing. As one might imagine, the dual career was a challenge. "Boeing had a policy of encouraging people to participate in politics," says Pullen, "so I was able to work as a legislator and still have a job waiting for me when I returned from session. But even though Boeing was wonderfully cooperative, it became increasingly difficult to keep up my technical ability when I was away from the job for three or four months each year."

That realization, coupled with a desire for new challenges and more family time, led Pullen to run for a seat on the King County Council-a full-time position-in 1989. He won the election and has been on the council ever since, including two years as chair. "The beauty of the council is that I get to work problems in depth, with continuity of effort," says Pullen. "That is how a scientist likes to work. In the legislature, when the session ends, projects often are cut-off midstream, which is frustrating."

In each of his elected positions, Pullen has had the same goal: protecting the basic freedoms outlined in the Constitution. "You'll see me standing up for a first amendment right, often perceived as a 'liberal' right, but also aggressively standing up for the second amendment right to keep and bear arms, perceived as 'conservative' right," says Pullen. "I just don't believe we can have freedom under half a Bill of Rights."

Asked what misconceptions the public has about politics, Pullen answers without hesitation. "Many people don't understand the extraordinatry power they have themselves, both individually and collectively," he says. "It worries me terribly when I see citizens expressing signs of apathy because they feel they can't make a difference. They can make a difference. It takes time, but it is extremely important if we are to protect our freedoms for our children and our grandchildren.

A Quarter-Century of Service

State Representative Helen Sommers headed to Olympia the same year as Kent Pullen and has managed to hold on to her seat ever since, even as the state legislature has swung to a Republican majority. It's a surprising turn of events for someone who had "almost no interest" in politics before jumping into her first political race.

Sommers credits the National Organization for Women (NOW) with leading her toward a career in politics. As an early NOW president, she was interested in changing laws that were restrictive for women. "NOW encouraged us to become part of the establishment-infiltrate if you will," she recalls, "so I became involved with the Democratic Party." In short order, Sommers decided to run for state representative. She was the first Democrat to win in her district for years.

Although Sommers was "totally green" when she headed for Olympia, she was not without life experience. At 21 years old, she had moved to Venezuela to work for Mobil Oil Company, a decision she describes as "a learning experience and a great time." While in Venezuela, she spent two years earning UW credits through correspondence courses. She eventually returned to the states to complete her B.A. and M.A. in economics, both at the UW, and then taught briefly at Edmonds Community College before joining King County's staff as a financial analyst.

Sommers remained at King County for 22 years--almost the entire time she has served in the legislature. "I'm a stick in the mud," she comments. "I don't jump around a lot." But that doesn't mean she's been sitting still. In the state legislature, she has chaired five different standing committees and has been a key player on many more. "The state is complicated and varied enough that you can work in many different areas," she says, "and entering a new area is almost like going for a new degree."

In her freshman term, Sommers took on the powerful timber industry in a tax reform battle-and prevailed. ("I just didn't know any better," she says.) More recently, she has focused on welfare reform and teen pregnancy prevention. Through the years, she also has spent endless hours working to improve access to higher education and has led numerous initiatives that have benefited the UW.

"She single-handedly got us going on asking for the Evening Degree Program," says Sherry Burkey, UW associate vice president for university relations and director of government relations. "She has continually reminded us of our responsibility as a regional, public university. I can't think of one person who has been more supportive or effective than Helen."

Evidently others agree. In a 1994 Seattle Times rating of all legislators, Sommers ranked highest. Sommers appreciated the recognition but mostly shrugs off both compliments and criticisms. "I've made just about everybody mad in my tenure in the legislature," she says. "You have to be able to take heat and not be too upset about it. I don't have a need to be loved. Being respected. that's different."

The UW's Voice in Olympia

When Sherry Burkey sings Sommers' praises, she knows what she's talking about. As the UW's lobbyist for the past 13 years, Burkey has had contact with nearly every legislator in Olympia. Her job is to convince Washington's leaders to support the University.

Sherry Burkey

"People are often surprised to learn that a public university has someone who lobbies for them," says Burkey. "They don't realize that it requires work to get the funding we get."

When Burkey speaks with politicians, she is not only a lobbyist but also a concerned alumna, having graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1978 with a degree in history. At first politics was a hobby, but in the late 70s Burkey decided to pursue a political career more seriously. She headed to Washington D.C., landing a job first with Senator Ted Kennedy's Committee on Health and later with Senator Henry (Scoop) Jackson.

Burkey's tenure in Senator Jackson's office was cut short when he died in 1983. "It became a decision point for me," recalls Burkey. "I had to decide whether I really wanted to stay in D.C. and work on the Hill." Burkey flew to Seattle and gave herself three weeks to find a job. Her timing was serendipitous: the UW was looking for a government relations staffer and hired Burkey immediately. She's been at the UW ever since.

As the main spokesperson for the University in Olympia, Burkey represents the institution in situations where the stakes are high. In addition to lobbying for the UW's budget, Burkey follows related legislation--about 25 bills each legislative session--that impacts the University.

Burkey knows that her job is not for everyone. She must deal with strong personalities. She must be aggressive in her arguments. She must be able to shoulder disappointment and move forward. And that, she says, is what makes her work so exciting. "You have to like the process or you'd go crazy," she says. "You have to like the give and take. You have to like the debate. It's not always pleasant."

The pace also appeals to Burkey. Unlike Washington, D.C., where legislation can travel through the system at a snail's pace, the brevity of the legislative session in Olympia ensures quick action. "It is possible to come up with a creative idea, ask people in the legislature and the community for their support, and get a bill passed in a few months," says Burkey. "It's a fast-moving place."

If there is one downside to Burkey's job, it is the challenge posed by Initiative 601. The initiative, passed by Washington's voters in 1993, sets a limit for spending regardless of available revenue.

"My biggest concern for the future is spending limits," says Burkey. "How can we maintain excellence here and be competitive in recruiting and retaining top faculty? Right now, our faculty are in the 40th percentile among our peers in terms of faculty salaries. The economy is doing great and yet the state can't invest more in higher education because of the lid on spending imposed by Initiative 601."

Will the frustration of spending limits cause Burkey to leave the UW? Not likely. "I've never felt the urge to change jobs," she says. "There's so much diversity in the issues facing the UW that it always stays new and fresh.

"Of course," she adds, glancing out her office window at UW's Red Square, "it helps that I love the place I represent."

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