To prepare for the future, more leaders must be committed to passing the torch.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi recently announced that she will not seek reelection to Congress, eliciting a variety of responses from colleagues – some celebrating her years of service and others less than affirming.
At the same time, another member of the House with decades of service under her belt, District Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), has yet to announce if she will seek reelection in the next election.
Both women have distinguished records and have become fixtures on the Hill. Both women are also in their 80s.
In addition, the political leaders have each paved the way and opened doors for other women to follow. However, it remains to be seen if they have mentored younger members of Congress, either women or men, to continue their legacies and pick up the baton.
If experience matters, and certainly it does, prospective candidates would benefit from having leaders like Pelosi and Norton share the strategies they have employed in their years of service – the successful outcomes as well as those that they later regretted.
Clearly, those who are elected to Congress and remain in office for many years find themselves in an enviable position with lives punctuated by prestige, power and financial security
But there comes a time when their constituents may be more effectively represented by someone younger, armed with a new set of skills and a vision that speaks more directly to the challenges we face today.
Tomorrow’s leaders do not have to repeat failed initiatives from the past. Nor do they need to enter office as fledglings. They just need an experienced teacher to show them the ropes.