St. Mary’s College produces crop of young political operatives

Friday, Aug. 11, 2006

But the 2,000-student institution known for its pristine waterfront location has produced a bountiful supply of alumni — and current students — working or volunteering for statewide campaigns. The college has developed a strong reputation in recent years as a valuable, if not compulsory, stop on the statewide political circuit, due in large part to the establishment of the school’s Center for the Study of Democracy.

It also doesn’t hurt that some of the state’s political bigwigs — Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md., 5th) and Comptroller William Donald Schaefer (D) — sit on the college’s board of trustees.

‘‘It’s a place that isn’t all about book knowledge,” said Jayson Williams, a 2003 graduate who is field director for Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin’s Senate campaign. ‘‘It’s a place that wants to prepare you for the real world.”

Last semester alone, the college lured political luminaries like Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, the presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee, and his one-time rival, Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan.

That kind of exposure has helped establish Williams as a seasoned political operative at 24. He previously worked for Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D) and was campaign manager for Baltimore City Councilman Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. (D) in 2004.

But Williams is just one of a handful of recent alumni who have landed top roles in Maryland campaigns and other political posts.

‘‘Just because the college is small and just because it’s out in the middle of nowhere, maybe that gives everybody more motivation to be engaged,” said Shannon Oxley, a 2001 graduate who is deputy chief of staff for the House Republican Caucus in Annapolis.

Small class sizes, intimate lectures and a civic-oriented student body contributes to the profusion of political activism. ‘‘When someone like Martin O’Malley comes to campus, they can sit and have a 15-minute conversation with him, whereas that’s a lot harder to do at College Park,” said Zach Messitte, director of the Center for the Study of Democracy, referring to the state’s flagship university.

Unique environment

Several students credit Messitte, whose father is a U.S. District Court judge in Greenbelt, with helping to foster their political involvement.

Marisa Dobson, a 2006 graduate, prepared for a career in writing, but never expected to be working on a political campaign. Dobson, 20, became inspired after meeting Senate hopeful Allan J. Lichtman (D) at the college in January, and is now his press secretary.

‘‘Zach offers us a lot of different connections,” she said. ‘‘He fires up a lot of people in terms of national and state politics.”

But Messitte, a former speechwriter for U.N. Secretary General Kofi A. Annan, shrugs off the praise. He said the school’s environment and curriculum promote civic involvement on their own.

The liberal arts college seems a natural setting for political dialogue. When Messitte was hired in September 2002 to head the Center for the Study of Democracy, he envisioned blending the area’s historical significance with the study of modern government. The center is in the midst of an effort to raise $1.5 million by 2008 that would yield an additional $500,000 federal grant.

Since the center’s founding, an internship program — named after Schaefer — has been established for students interested in a state government career. Messitte will teach a class this fall examining Maryland politics, which will bring local and statewide candidates for guest lectures and require students to follow a campaign throughout the semester. ‘‘This is a way, in the classroom, to learn exactly what they want to do in their career,” he said.

For candidates, the appearances at St. Mary’s can be useful recruitment tools. Williams, a Baltimore native, first met Cardin at a College Democrats rally in 2002. At the time, he didn’t even recognize the longtime congressman but unwittingly chatted with him for about 10 minutes. Now, he is one of Cardin’s senior staffers, sacrificing more lucrative careers for long days on the campaign trail, but receiving precious on-the-job experience. ‘‘I’ve seen more of Maryland than most people will see in their entire lives,” he said, noting two St. Mary’s students are summer interns for the campaign.

By visiting the school, candidates show students that their vote counts and their opinion matters, Messitte said.

Good recruiting tool

Current issues, such as the war in Iraq and the debate over privatizing Social Security, are driving more young voters to the polls, so candidates are being forced to reach out to colleges, said St. Mary’s senior Elizabeth Lewis, who is volunteering for Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R). ‘‘I feel like kids my age are starting to realize that everything that happens now will have more of an impact on them than anyone else,” she said.

Unlike larger schools, St. Mary’s College’s intimate setting contributes to the political passion. ‘‘We can engage in dialogue with our professors and other students,” Lewis said. ‘‘When there’s 500 other kids in a classroom, you can’t really do that.”

‘‘We feel like we can make a difference,” said Dobson. ‘‘Being at St. Mary’s, the small community gives you this feeling of empowerment that you can affect change.”

Campaigns enlist young staffers ‘‘because they’re cheap and they work their tail off,” Messitte said. ‘‘You can work 20 hours a day for peanuts and have a position of responsibility.”

For recent grads, the entry-level jobs provide networking opportunities that often lead to future jobs. ‘‘Would you rather be working in a big office fetching coffee and making photocopies, or would you rather be going around the state learning about ... the inner workings of a political campaign?” Messitte asked rhetorically.

That’s what Jae Lim has experienced working for Montgomery County State’s Attorney Douglas F. Gansler (D), who is running for attorney general. ‘‘I’m learning on the go,” said Lim, a St. Mary’s sophomore who, as Gansler’s staff assistant, is a self-described jack-of-all-trades. ‘‘It’s a perfect position for me, because I don’t really have a defined role, but I do a little bit of everything.”

When the fall semester starts, Lim pledged to find time for both his studies and the campaign.

As state chairwoman of the Maryland Federation of College Republicans, Lewis oversees 14 campus GOP chapters and will coordinate a 72-hour student campaign blitz leading up to the Nov. 7 general election. The Elkton resident participated in a similar effort in the waning days of the 2004 presidential campaign, traveling to a swing county in Ohio to help boost voter turnout in Republican areas.

The college atmosphere helped to nurture her political gusto. ‘‘It’s really conducive to political conversation,” Lewis said. ‘‘Even if you’re in a minority situation like I am, I felt like I really wanted to change people’s mind and let people know there is a minority view.”

Oxley, previously a lobbyist for St. Mary’s College in Annapolis, agreed.

‘‘I enjoy arguing and there’s never a shortage of people to argue with if you’re a Republican at St. Mary’s,” she said. ‘‘Even though it is a very liberal school, you will never be condemned for arguing with anybody at St. Mary’s so long as you can back it up. Everyone is respectful of each other’s ideas. You can argue with somebody until your face turns blue and then go to a party with them that night.”