Late last year, the veteran Republican told his two aides to begin looking for other work because, knowing that his constituents would suffer from the cuts in the upcoming budget, he felt obliged to share their pain.
Since his staffers left, Powers has worked longer hours, particularly at home. In addition to performing many of the tasks of his former aides, Powers notes that getting things done at the office has become more difficult without staff members to handle impromptu visitors and phone calls. "What I miss most is that little layer of insulation," he says.
While Powers' constituents have overwhelmingly voiced their support for his decision, fellow legislators have not been nearly so kind. "Inside the capitol, most of my colleagues still see it as a stunt," he notes. Yet Powers believes that it's only a matter of time until the legislature confronts the fact it is overstaffed and begins making cuts. Although Powers would consider taking on staff when budget pressures ease, he never plans on having two full-time paid aides again.
Downsizing staff might be hard for some legislators to swallow, however, because it could mean curtailing constituent-outreach efforts. For lack of time, Powers has forgone a lot of the self- promotional activities, such as issuing newsletters and press releases, he previously assigned to his staff. "Mostly it's been a matter of deciding what not to do," he says.
