Barton staffers: ‘The office is fun; the people are great’

If all had gone according to plan, Sarah Whiting should have been working in Latin America, not on Capitol Hill.

With a major in recreation from Texas A&M University, Whiting, 26, had a job lined up as a liaison for camps south of the border, and was to start a few months after graduating college.

But before heading out, Whiting took a Capitol Hill internship and was bitten by the political bug.

She hasn’t looked back since. Whiting now joins Emmanual Guillory, Michael Weems and Colin Mayhood in recent promotions in Rep. Joe Barton’s (R-Texas) office.

Though Whiting’s days aren’t spent exploring the great outdoors — one of her passions, she said — the current political atmosphere has kept her energized about office work.

“There hasn’t been a time like this for a while,” said Whiting, who most enjoys working on healthcare issues. “Maybe fun’s not the right word, but sometimes it is.”

And her recent promotion from legislative aide to senior legislative aide has afforded her a small slice of what life might have been like had her camp job worked out.

“I’m finally next to a window,” said the outdoor enthusiast, who enjoys running, kayaking and biking.

Guillory, the 25-year-old legislative correspondent, was also on a different career track before he wound up in Barton’s office.

After being elected class president while completing a graduate degree in administration and higher education at Bowling Green State University, he sparked his interest in serving the public.

“Through that experience I just realized I loved advocating for people,” he said.

Guillory, a Texas native, has a lingering desire to run for office someday, but until then, he’s content to live and work for Barton in the midst of the political arena.

“What better place to be than Capitol Hill,” he said.

A love of the district also influenced Weems, a 26-year-old who was promoted from senior legislative aide to legislative director.

After taking a high school trip from Texas to Washington, Weems said he “fell in love with the city” and was determined to make his way back.

He majored in political science at Texas Tech University, and, jobless, moved to Washington.

After two months, his gamble paid off. Weems scored an internship with Barton — where “the office is fun, the people are great” and there are even casual dress days, though Weems noted they tend to be “few and far between.”

The youngest of the promoted staffers, new staff assistant Colin Mayhood, 23, came to Capitol Hill to get hands-on experience with energy policy.

Though Mayhood said he has always been “philosophically conservative,” he was an economics major at the University of Virginia and the classes he took piqued his interest in fiscally conservative public policy.

“It wasn’t really until I got to college that you see these business principles … and you see that the conservatives are the ones who have it right,” Mayhood said.

Working for Barton, who is not only a Republican but also the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, is a perfect fit, Mayhood said.

He wants to go to law school next year to study energy and trade law, but the “good vibes” he gets working in Barton’s office may temporarily thwart his plans.

“It’s been a great experience,” Mayhood said with a grin. “I might have to stick around a little longer."

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