Cleaveland Has Busy First Month In Office

William Cleaveland was sworn in as a House of Delegate Member for the 17th District of Virginia on January 13, by the Clerk of the House of Delegates.  He was joined by 19 other freshmen delegates in the class of 2010.

One of his first duties was to be assigned to a committee; he has been placed on the Courts of Justice–Militia and Police.  He  typically begins his day by reviewing bills that are coming up either in one of his committees for presentation or that will be considered for a reading or vote on the floor of the House chamber when the session begins at noon.  He also allocates time for groups and individuals that want to speak about a particular bill or issue before it is voted on.

His legislative aide, B. J. Robertson, helps him respond to letters, emails and telephone calls from folks back home.  He has committee meetings early in the mornings and later into the evening, sandwiching all his other work in between the House sessions.  This session will run 60 consecutive days.

The thing he likes best about his new position is the people he works with and the challenges of dealing with the issues of the day.  While he is in Richmond he lives in an apartment a few blocks from the Capitol. The only thing he dislikes is being away from his family and the sacrifices required of them in order to allow him to be in this position.

In just a short time, he has already introduced 14 bills this session.  He said he is realizing that although the majority of the bills are uncontested, they are all “important to the operation of the day-to-day business of governing the lives of our constituents back home.  This is one of the necessary parts of a Delegate’s responsibility, to deal with the ordinary, day-to-day stuff.”

He acknowledges the biggest issue facing the state today is the budget and says it is “fair to say that we all agree that this is going to be one of the most difficult sessions experienced by anyone in the General Assembly in terms of making the necessary decisions to balance the budget.”  He is glad to have the leadership of Governor Bob McDonnell.

Delegate Cleaveland’s office is located in Room 408 of the General Assembly Building.  His phone number in Richmond is (804) 698-1017 and his email is [email protected].  He welcomes his constituents to contact him with their concerns.