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Fairfax's team in Richmond
And on Saturday. Sometimes Sundays, too.Mittereder is the petite blonde powerhouse who heads up Fairfax County's legislative team in Richmond during each year's General Assembly session. Working with her during the session are Tom Biesiadny from transportation, legislative liaison Claudia Arko, land-use expert Karen Harwood, and contract lobbyist Sue Rowland for human services concerns.
Surviving the session requires living on "chocolate and adrenaline" and relying on her Blackberry to connect her to staff and home. Her life during those weeks is defined by crushing heaps of paper; this session alone, nearly 3,000 bills were introduced. The Richmond team plus more than 20 Fairfax County staff members have picked through every single one of them.
Their task, while simple, is monumental in its complexity. They must parse out how each bill would impact Fairfax - either positively or negatively - while also promoting the initiatives resolved upon by the county supervisors.
Technology is a huge factor in enabling staff to accomplish this. When a bill is submitted, it is delegated to someone in county offices back home to determine the actual impact of a bill, whether in fiscal terms or economic impact or the like. This way, as soon as the database is updated, Mittereder can hand numbers to the legislator in question for immediate effect.
"Doctor Mittereder," as she is affectionately referred to by staff and who admitted only to being "over 50," first started her career in lobbying with Fairfax County Public Schools, coming to the region after earning her doctorate in education from Virginia Tech in 1984. She went to work for the county government in 1989 and has been lobbying on its behalf ever since.
That longevity, she said, combined with a policy of presenting legislators with as balanced information as possible, has led to trusting relationships on the part of local legislators.
Each year, the county drafts bills the Board of Supervisors wants to see considered in Richmond and then approaches the local delegation to solicit sponsors for county bills. The county also takes official positions on a variety of issues, ranging from weapons in public safety offices, to nondiscriminatory employment practices, to the omnipresent transportation concern.
It is Mittereder and her staff who keep on top of these issues, constantly meeting with elected officials from all regions of Virginia to explain why passage or rejection of any given bill is necessary.
"We've developed a trust over the years," Mittereder said. "Even if they disagree with us personally, they know if they get information from us, it's true. I have great faith in our staff - we're only as good down here as the information we get from home."
Each Friday, the Richmond team returns to Fairfax to give an overview of the week to the board at its legislative committee meeting. Bills that passed, bills that failed, amendments of importance are all summarized so county officials can understand what Richmond legislators are up to.
In sum, said board of supervisors chairman Gerry Connolly (D), Mittereder and her Richmond staff are responsible for protecting Fairfax's interests at the state level and keeping legislators' mischief at a minimum.
"We cover hundreds, thousands of pieces of legislation," Connolly said. "It is one of the most unsung but critical functions on behalf of our citizens."
And despite some amount of jadedness from having been a lobbyist for so long, Mittereder said she still feels the role is important because of its impact on the average citizen.
"You're making a difference," she said. "If you can get money for children, for the working poor - I still feel that one person can make a difference."
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