Chris Foster

ST.

Tuesday, February 27, 2001

ST. PAUL – After two months in the Legislature, Sen. Grace Schwab has discovered there is no such thing as a typical day at the Capitol.

Since her Election Day victory over incumbent Pat Piper of Austin, Schwab has been a crash-course student. Like the other freshman senators, she’s had to learn everything from the layout of the Capitol complex to the dress code for the Senate chamber. Above all, she’s discovering that being a legislator means you can only attempt to manage the information, demands, personalities and schedule of the job. Every day holds challenges and surprises.

On this particular day, a Thursday, Schwab, R-Albert Lea, unlocks her office and flicks on the lights at 7:15 a.m. She likes to start early so she can check messages, organize her day’s schedule and pick up some momentum before her committee meetings and Senate sessions begin.

She makes it a point to have a quick meeting with her legislative assistant, John Cooney, to make sure they’re working together and not duplicating any tasks. It’s Schwab’s second day back from illness. She missed a little more than a week and has a lot of catching up to do.

"I’ve got quite a mess to deal with. I was falling asleep in bed next to open files before I got sick. Now I really have to play some catch-up," Schwab said.

"I still have so much to learn. I have a lot of homework to do. I feel like a student who missed a week of school," Schwab said.

 

Committee meeting

By 8 a.m., Schwab is already seated at a conference table for her first committee meeting. Today, it’s transportation, a committee with file upon file of statistics, maps, forecasts and studies. Many of the most pressing concerns are in the metro, where traffic gets worse every year. Schwab is determined to keep some focus on rural transportation issues.

"Transportation was one of the first areas I noticed this gap between metro and Greater Minnesota," Schwab said. "The power has been shifting toward the cities and suburbs for a long time, and I worry that rural issues are taking a back seat."

The committee meeting is relatively brief on this morning, just over an hour and a half. The Senate is going into a midmorning session.

Because she’s in the minority party in the Senate, Schwab’s desk is in the front row so she has to turn to see the rest of the room. Colleagues from both parties greet her as she makes her way to the front of the domed chamber. Most have heard about her illness, inflammation of the colon, and are going out of their way to ask how she’s feeling.

"The feeling in here is pretty restrained on some days," Schwab said of the Senate chamber. "This bunch doesn’t have as much fun as the House, or so I hear. We seem to have more rules."

Schwab plugs in her laptop computer, and, while she waits for it to warm up, she scans the gallery several feet above her. She knows it’s Freeborn County Day at the Capitol, and she’s curious if she will see any constituents sitting down to watch the proceedings.

Debate during the brief session centered on the University of Minnesota’s 150th birthday, U of M regent appointments, drunk-driving laws and a host of other issues. Because it’s still relatively early in the session, most of the real work is still being done in the committees.

"The closer we get to May, the more the sessions will get important. Right now, everyone still is buzzing about Gov. Ventura’s budget proposals and waiting for the nest budget forecasts," Schwab said.

 

Unexpected visits

After session, Schwab returns to the State Office Building to finish her Transportation Committee meeting. She’s already feeling fatigued. Her strength hasn’t completely returned from the illness, and the long walk through the tunnels from the Capitol back to the State Office Building is tougher than usual.

"One thing about working at the Capitol is the constant walking back and forth between buildings. I’m getting in pretty good shape," Schwab said.

During her lunch, she chats with Cooney about the rest of the day. It looks light – an appointment with some reporters at 1 p.m., and a brief visit with St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman at 3:15 p.m. Schwab has visions of getting caught up on her constituent mail, but she knows better.

"Chances are I’ll be getting a few unexpected visits. It always seems to work that way," she said.

She barely finishes the thought when two firefighters representing the Minnesota Fire Service Joint Council enter the office. Schwab greets them warmly and listens to their concerns.

About 20 minutes later, another knock on the door signals two more lobbyists, this time for the Minnesota Multiple Sclerosis Society. They want to talk to Schwab because of her position on the Senate’s Transportation Committee. There is also another reason: Schwab’s daughter was diagnosed with MS a couple of years ago.

"I’m glad they stopped over. Their issues hit close to home with me," Schwab said after the MS representatives left.

A few moments later, Schwab sees Kristin Haug in the hallway outside the office. Haug, executive director of the Albert Lea Community Child Care Center, is with a group of early childhood advocates visiting the Capitol to give testimony on child-care issues and to speak with legislators.

Schwab’s schedule already is heavier than anticipated but she doesn’t mind the impromptu visits.

"This is my constituents’ office, not mine," she said. "It belongs to them. I want them to feel comfortable stopping in any time. If they want to drop off their coats and bags here, that’s fine."

At about 2 p.m., Schwab gets a call from Mary Loucas, a legislative analyst who specializes in taxes. Loucas is on her way to brief Schwab on new developments in taxes. They discuss small business, sales tax expansion and pension taxes for about 30 minutes.

"This is one way I can catch up on what I’ve missed. I can talk to the non-partisan experts, and they can brief me in minutes. It would take me a lot longer to get this information on my own," Schwab said.

 

Across party lines

After her meeting with Loucas, Schwab heads back to the Capitol to see fellow freshman Sen. David Tomassoni, a Democrat from Chisholm. Though they sit at opposite ends of the political spectrum, Schwab thinks they have a lot of Greater Minnesota issues in common.

Tomassoni, who spent four terms in the House, finishes a phone call and ushers Schwab into his office. After Schwab convinces him she’s feeling better, they chat about declining enrollment and jobs in their districts.

"This is the first decade that the state has more metro legislators than Greater Minnesota legislators," Tomassoni said. "The rivalry has always been there, but now those of us outside the metro are at a disadvantage."

As Schwab gets up to leave, Tomassoni can’t resist bragging a bit about his district. He shows her pictures of Main Street in Chisholm, and talks about his Italian roots. A large poster of a hockey team dominates one wall of the office – a memento of Tomassoni’s 16 years as a defensemen for a professional Italian hockey team. Tomassoni also played on the Italian National Team in the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.

"It’s the colleagues like David that I’m excited about because he wants to forge relationships," Schwab said. "I think there are some good opportunities to work with him and others in both houses to accomplish some things for Greater Minnesota. I’m trying to build some coalitions."

 

A mayoral chat

Schwab says goodbye to Tomassoni and hustles back to her office for her meeting with Mayor Coleman – her last appointment of the day.

Coleman wants to know about Schwab’s impression of the governor’s budget, and what her constituents are saying. Schwab tells him about the challenges of border communities losing business to neighboring states.

"It’s happened in my district a lot," Schwab told him. "They relocate a few miles away in Iowa to get a better tax situation."

Coleman talks for a few minutes about economic development, complimenting Schwab several times on the people of her district.

"The focus should always be on establishing an environment that’s business friendly and family friendly," Coleman, who reportedly is gearing up for another run for the governorship, said. "Always be aware of your community’s assets and capitalize on them."

Finally, Schwab sits down for a few quiet moments to look at four bulging files of letters, e-mails, notices and invitations. She looks at the clock, sees that it’s already almost 4:30 p.m. and decides to pack the files and bring them home.

"These are the people I work for," she said. "The day I was elected, I quit worrying about who voted for me and started working for everyone in the district."

Schwab is looking forward to getting back to Austin and Albert Lea for the weekend. She knows the coming week will test her strength as her schedule gets longer and busier.

Once home, Schwab makes it a point to go to a high school game and get groceries in the local supermarket.

"That’s my lifeline," she said. "All of the stuff going on up here in St. Paul can sometimes obscure your home base. What are you doing to help the people of Freeborn and Mower counties? I ask myself that everyday."