SpicyTricks

From February 16 to 20, I had the unique opportunity to serve as a North Carolina Governor’s Page. This meant that I helped with office tasks, toured state buildings, and spoke to government officials. I loved the experience and would definitely recommend it to anyone with an interest in political science or history.

My experience was drastically different from the average page’s experience, as I had the bad luck to serve during one of the coldest weeks on record in North Carolina. Inclement weather meant that I didn’t serve on Tuesday, and I only served for half of the day on Wednesday. Some of the regular page activities, such as meeting and taking a picture with Governor Pat McCrory, were cut, while others were moved to different days. Regardless of the weather, I still gained priceless knowledge about the inner workings of our government.

Here were a few of my favorite activities:

 

Meeting the Commissioner of Agriculture: This almost didn’t occur, as we just happened to stumble upon the commissioner as he exited his office. We had previously spoken with David Smith, who serves in the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, about what the department does and some of the challenges it is facing with the ice and freezing temperatures. On our way out, Smith introduced us to another employee, who spends much of his time in China working with officials there. As he finished speaking, we were about to leave, when the door opened and Commissioner Steve Troxler walked out. He happily invited us into his office. His outer office may have been my favorite location that we visited, because it was decorated to look like a house. It even had a front porch and stove (with an apple pie on it). It was quite interesting, and his inner office was almost as fascinating. It contained countless items and antiques, including the painting that inspired North Carolina’s seal. He spoke about the difficulties of getting elected, what his department does, and why agriculture is important to the state.

Visiting McCrory’s office: This was my second-favorite location, as McCrory actually works here occasionally. The area we toured was

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blocked off to the public, but, as pages, we were allowed in. McCrory had a variety of knickknacks around his office, including items signed by sports teams and (possibly--it was hard to make out the signature) Mitt Romney. I took a picture at McCrory’s desk, where he has held some of his press conferences, so I found that particularly exciting. Afterwards, we toured the Capitol Building. It isn’t used anymore as an actual legislative building--the General Assembly replaced it--so we were able to tour the old Senate and House of Representatives chambers. I also visited the library, which was larger than I expected it to be.

Visiting the Innovation Center: People often bemoan the state of our government, calling it slow and complicated. Government officials are well aware of this, and the state created the Innovation Center to try to streamline government. The center is in a modern, beautiful building, and the employees were all young and eager to help the state. Pages viewed a number of new technologies designed to make the government more accessible and more competent, such as a license renewal kiosk. This kiosk, similar in design to a Redbox kiosk, allows users to renew their driver’s license. It can be placed anywhere and is particularly useful in rural areas, where DMV wait times can be extremely high. We also tested out videoconferencing technology that focuses on a speaker’s face, which is useful during

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large meetings.

Visiting the Archives: As a history nerd, I loved this part of the program. The Archives are where all of the state’s old documents, like newspapers and court dockets, are housed. It was full of information that genealogists, journalists, and historians use regularly. The most interesting thing I learned was how to use microfilm. Some pages didn’t even know what it was, but I had seen it in movies, so I had a vague idea. Basically, it’s a long roll of film with information engraved into it. It can store documents like newspapers, and it lasts for centuries without degrading. Some argue that the internet has made this technology obsolete, but I disagree. I wish I had learned how to use it in school, as it could be invaluable for research. We also were able to tour the stacks, another area that the public isn’t allowed in, and I touched centuries-old documents.

Speaking to a Court of Appeals judge: Chris Dillon, a Court of Appeals judge, discussed the intricacies of law and what the Court of Appeals does. We met with him in a courtroom. Actually being in a courtroom was interesting--the room was beautifully furnished, but it also contained some modern technology, like a television and tablet screens. Dillon described some of the complex situations judges on the court have to deal with and how their role differs from the role of the Supreme Court and district courts. Basically, the Court of Appeals deals with appealed cases and can’t change facts established in earlier trials.

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Touring the Executive Mansion: While not as large as the Biltmore, the Executive Mansion is quite an expansive building. We were only able to tour the bottom floor, as the second floor is reserved for McCrory’s private quarters, but I loved what I saw. There’s a ballroom, gentlemen’s parlor, and ladies’ parlor, all elaborately decorated with many historic objects. However, my favorite part of the tour was seeing an area that normally isn’t part of the tour at all--the kitchen. Because the grounds were icy and dangerous, we were allowed to go behind the scenes and see both the kitchen and the door McCrory uses to access the mansion. McCrory’s cooks have to work 14 hours a day to feed all of the staff and troopers in the building. When McCrory is home, their hours are even longer, as they have to stay in the kitchen until he retires for the evening. The kitchen was a small, cramped space, so I felt sorry for them, but they assured us that they were gaining invaluable knowledge from the experience. I enjoyed hearing what food McCrory eats--he has simple tastes and loves Raisin Bran for breakfast. I’m an avid cereal lover, so we have this in common.

Touring the General Assembly: Although I was looking forward to seeing this building, it ended up being less exciting than I thought it would be. This tour was brief, and we were only able to view the House of Representatives and Senate chambers from their respective galleries. I was mostly disappointed because both houses were not in session--pages normally do this tour on Tuesday (when they would be in session), but we didn’t meet on Tuesday due to the weather. However, we were allowed to enter President Pro Tempore Phil Berger’s office. He had some interesting decorations and some bills splayed across his desk.

Touring the Department of Environment and Natural Resources: This was our last stop, so I was tired, but I still appreciated the efforts the department is making to increase the efficiency of the government. The DENR is housed in the same building as the Innovation Center, which makes sense, as its strict regulations and extreme efficiency point towards a bright future for the government. Employees aren’t allowed to wear or spray any products that emit a strong scent, for instance. They can also adjust the temperature of their individual cubicles, which increases productivity. Ventilation keeps carbon dioxide from collecting in the air and making workers tired. The building itself contains some recycled materials, and it is designed to consume less energy than other buildings.