Elijah Cummings was very proud of his staff. I only had the pleasure to directly work with him for two years but observed that perhaps one of his greatest skills was finding talent and putting together one of the best teams on Capitol Hill. The chairman, who passed away last week on Oct. 17, was among the most sought-after members to work for in Congress. And, for good reason – he was the real deal. It is often said that the mark of a great leader is to surround themselves with smart people, support them and give them the right environment to succeed. Mr. Cummings did that, and more.
Whether you were in his Washington, D.C., office, district office or on his committee staff, he took a personal interest in your work on behalf of his constituents and the American people. He could be tough, encouraging, critical and sing your praises all in one conversation. But, you learned and understood where he was coming from after you reflected on what he said to you. He also was quite aware that the hours his staff worked and the pay that they got was not commensurate with the time and effort they gave at the office. The staff knew, though, that it was public service and they were not doing it for any private gain.
The person who answered the phone at the front desk or greeted constituents as they visited the office was just as important to the congressman as his chief of staff, press secretary or the staff director of the committee. His scheduler probably spoke to him the most because she would be on the receiving end of every verbal request that he said “yes” to without first checking to see if he could actually fit it into his schedule. But, he would literally try to do every single event he committed to doing. And, when he came, he did not disappoint. He was always on his “A” game. But, to get there, he would have a staffer brief him or have a staffer meet him at the event or speaking engagement. There would always be follow-up thank you letters to do or some action item that his staff would have to attend to post-meeting or post-event.
His speechwriters, legislative, and policy teams knew how to capture his voice and they were legislative wizards at turning his ideas into legislation that could get passed by Congress and signed into law. Just this week, the House Homeland Security Committee passed a transportation security bill that he helped lead. But, he would be the first to tell you that it was his staff that went out and did the research, worked with legislative counsel, got other members to co-sponsor the bills and do the behind-the-scenes work to make it happen. He gave you the space to succeed and would back you up when you needed him to make a call or sign a letter or talk to another member on the House floor. He wanted his staff to feel fulfilled in the work they were doing. When the housing crisis hit his beloved Baltimore community hard, he assigned one person to respond to constituents’ needs and coordinate with lenders and mortgage servicers to help keep people in their homes.
Several of his staffers stayed and worked with him for a majority of his time in Congress. Many staffers who worked for him came from other professions. And, even if you left his office to pursue other interests, you never really left Team Cummings. You still wanted to be a part of the team and he wanted to seek your advice and assistance whenever appropriate. He shared in your victories both personal and professional. When you got a new job, started a business, got married or had a new child, he would be among the first to call or send a heart-warming message.
On the first day of the August District work period this year, the congressman came to Capitol Hill from Baltimore for a “thank you” luncheon with his 2019 intern class. He bought a delicious, catered lunch and spent two hours talking about his life story and answering questions from the group. But, that is who he was and he had done similar events countless times. However, this time it was also likely one of his last official events on Capitol Hill.
Chairman Cummings used to tell anyone who asked that he had a phenomenal staff. Given all the time he spent with his staff and constituents, we should really thank his family for sharing him with all of us. It probably wasn’t easy.
But, he was the captain and his crew was first class.
Paul Brathwaite served as executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) when Mr. Cummings served as Chair of the CBC during the 108th Congress.