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The Watauga Democrat

By Scott Nicholson

Rep. Virginia Foxx, the first Watauga County resident elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, held an official ribbon cutting ceremony for her home county office on Friday.

Foxx, a Republican representing the Fifth District, maintains district offices in Boone and Clemmons as well as her Washington, D.C., legislative office.

Foxx was on hand to greet supporters and constituents during the ceremony, which featured people from several of the district’s western counties.The Boone office is located at 240 N.C. 105 Extension. After cutting the ribbon, Foxx said, “My number one goal is to have an office known for the best constituent service in Congress. We’ve been pleased with the feedback and want you to use our offices and call our staff.”

In selecting the office on the second floor of a professional building, Foxx told those in attendance, “We’re very careful about how we spend your money. We wanted a place that was easy to find and easy to get into.” According to Foxx’s district director, Todd Poole, the district offices are geared toward constituent service and response, handling federal government paperwork and grants, and legislative issues. “It can range from opinions on legislation before Congress to veteran’s benefits, Social Security benefits, passport assistance, and grants,” Poole said. “Anybody that has a problem or an issue with the federal government can come to our offices.” The district offices focus on personal constituent service, while the Washington office focuses on legislative issues. However, any office can direct people to the right channels to solve their problems. “Illegal immigration is one of the top concerns of people calling in,” Poole said, mentioning other “hot topics” as Pres, George Bush’s proposed Social Security overhaul and health care, particularly rising costs.

The Boone district office is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to noon. Aaron Whitener usually staffs the office, and later this year will be traveling to the district’s seven counties to make twice-monthly stops in small field offices there. Poole travels between the two district offices, and the total district staff includes six full-time members and eight interns. The staff has strong regional ties because five of the six members graduated from Appalachian State University. Poole said the selections weren’t related to the university, but reflected the caliber of the university in producing qualified people.

Poole, who serves on the ASU alumni council, said, “It shows the great job ASU does in serving this region.” The staff members come from a variety of backgrounds and majors, though each has been trained to specialize in certain areas while also understanding day-to-day operations. Whitener, for example, is the staff expert on securing grants, having undergone training in Washington.

The staff size may expand, but Poole said that freshmen representatives “usually have a pretty tight budget.” Poole said most people in the staff offices are interested in politics or political careers, though he said, “It really is a service position. You have to have a service mentality to enjoy this type of work. Wanting to serve should be a prerequisite of running for office.” The staff also stays in close communication with each other and Foxx through use of “blackberries,” handheld digital devices that serve as cell phones, pagers, personal desk assistants, and email interfaces. “This really helps us to be responsive to constituents,” Poole said. “We can continue to work on things in the car, during meetings and during lunch. It also makes out job 24/7. Your work comes home with you.”

The offices also accept applications for interns, usually from high school or college students. Forty people applied to serve as interns for Foxx, though only eight slots were available. Poole said the internship is rewarding, and he served Foxx as an intern while she was a state senator. He decided to continue working with her because “I’m impressed with how hard she works. Even when she was a senator, she worked hard for her constituents, and she’s still working hard as a Congresswoman.”

Poole said good communication and interpersonal skills are needed in the offices because much of the public interaction is over the phone or via face-to-face visits. However, the Internet has also had a big influence on reaching the public. Poole said he received 300 emails the day before the ribbon cutting. He either answers them himself or forwards them to the appropriate department, agency or staff member. Poole said while the Clemmons office gets more foot traffic due to its proximity to Winston-Salem, he expects the Boone office to get more use in the months ahead. “Anyone with any problem should contact our district offices,” he said. “It can be faster than contacting the Washington, D.C. office. There’s still a delaying in receiving mail in the Washington offices due to the anthrax threats (of 2001). “We consider the district office to be the gateway to the services offered by the federal government,” he said. “This is the people’s office. Anyone who has a concern should feel welcome to call or come in.”

Foxx often can be found in the Boone office either early Monday morning or later in the week, depending on the schedule of Congressional sessions. Her staff tracks her schedule and can let people know when she’s available for appointments. She spends almost all her weekends in the district.

Whitener handles routine tasks of opening mail, receiving faxes, and answering phone calls, and also handles Federal Emergency Management Agency grants, Homeland Security grants, and rural development grants. Special projects receiving federal grants include the Blowing Rock Community Arts Center, Ft. Dobbs in Statesville, and several research grants for Wake Forest University.“We get many grant requests for housing and small business development,” Whitener said. “We try to do everything we can to help.”

Poole said although Foxx is a Republican, the district office is strictly nonpartisan, following rules and regulations that ensure fair service. “It’s paid for by taxpayer funds,” Poole said. “It’s not a campaign office and there are no campaign activities. We treat each constituent the same way. That’s one of the things we stressed from the very beginning.”

Carroll Phillips, one of Foxx’s supporters from Ashe County, came to the ribbon-cutting ceremony to give Foxx a “politically incorrect” book of American history. She said she was proud of Foxx for taking a stand against what she said were unfair trade agreements. “It’s not just jobs and the economy, it’s sovereignty,” Phillips said.

Lee Meade of North Wilkesboro said she came because “I think Virginia is a great person and she is doing a tremendous job.”

The office also handles nominations for military academies, provides lists of museums and schedules tours of the capitol, and coordinates official presidential greeting letters and recognition.The phone number for Foxx’s Boone office is 265-0240.