Legislative Rookies Face Challenges Four Spokane-Area Freshmen Have Some Moments Of Anxiety

The lights at the Bensons’ ice cream shop in Spokane were turned off Monday, as they are almost all winter, but the family’s flavor of the day was hardly routine vanilla.

That’s because wife Jill, daughter Ashley, 10, and sons Patrick, 7, and Grahm, 3, got to watch Brad Benson, R-Spokane, take the oath of office on the floor of the House of Representatives as one of four Spokane-area freshman legislators for the 55th state legislative session.

Benson was joined by Rep. Bob Sump, R-Republic, Rep. Alex Wood, D-Spokane, and Rep. Jeff Gombosky, D-Spokane.

“It’s an honor to be here,” Jill Benson said after the family toured the Capitol before the opening ceremony.

Like others, Brad Benson got an early start on his legislative career by arriving to a cool and crisp Capitol campus before 8 a.m. to collect signatures for his first bill.

Later, with soft sunlight illuminating the Capitol outside and the scent of political cooperation lingering indoors, Benson took his seat in the rear of the House chamber.

On the other side of the aisle sat Gombosky, who faced a host of opening-day anxieties, none of which penetrated his silky and professional style.

The youngest member of the House at 25, Gombosky is just three years removed from an internship at the Capitol while he was a student at Eastern Washington University.

“That’s just a facade on the outside,” Gombosky said of his demeanor. “On the inside I don’t know what to do with myself.” Nevertheless, his attention to each openingday speaker was sharper than the pinstripes on his navy suit.

Rep. Cathy McMorris, R-Colville, recalled when she was a freshman four years ago, appointed at the age of 24. At the time, she, too, was the youngest member of the House.

“I just wanted to prove that I could represent my district well,” she said. “By working hard and being responsible and consistent, I earned (other legislators’) trust even though I was the youngest.”

Benson and Gombosky said they fear the unknown, which is what orientation programs tried to alleviate.

Benson admitted he may have difficulty keeping up with proceedings on the House floor.

“I got the rules (for parliamentary procedure) three months ago,” he said through an eager smile. “But when we were doing a mock session the other day I had trouble keeping up. It was next to impossible.”

During the ceremony, Clyde Ballard, R-Wenatchee, was re-elected House speaker for a second term.

While pageantry and spirit of cooperation best characterized the first day of the 105-day session, some lawmakers went right to work pushing their agenda. That included Wood, who wasn’t shy about donning a button many Democrats wore that made reference to their property tax-cut proposal.

But even for Wood, who managed to fight his pre-session anxieties by battling the poor weather conditions and their aftermath on both sides of the state, the opening ceremony was an event to savor.

“It’s still kind of hard to believe the whole thing,” he said. A former Spokane TV reporter and talk show host, Wood said he is eager to learn the legislative system from the inside.

Sump anticipates a relatively easy transition because he has spent so much time preparing for public office.

“The only thing I had to do this morning was get here on time,” he said. “If I did look at the overall picture, I would have those anxieties.”

McMorris said the freshmen will face a throng of new challenges and encourages them to be persistent. “A lot will be coming at them in the beginning and they should take it one day at a time,” she said. “(I would urge them) to be quick to listen to other people and slow to draw conclusions on any matter.”

, DataTimes