Marcy Kaptur Q&A
1. Where were you in life and how did you get involved with Carter-Mondale?
I was recruited to work in the Carter-Mondale Administration while I was serving as a city planner in Chicago. I had served as a city and regional planner for a few different areas across the Great Lakes region including in my hometown of Toledo over the previous 15 years before interviewing for a domestic policy advisor role with the Carter-Mondale Administration. In Chicago I worked under Monsignor Geno Baroni, who went on to serve as Urban Development Assistant Secretary for Neighborhood Development, Consumer Affairs, and Regulatory Functions in the Carter Administration. It was an honor for him to suggest that I could serve an important role for the Administration and our nation, and I proceeded without hesitation. It was a privilege to learn from President Carter and his entire team, lessons that have stayed with me during my time in Congress.
2. What did you do in the campaign or administration (or both)?
I served as a domestic policy advisor to President Carter, mainly focusing on housing and urban policy initiatives. I am honored to have helped pass 17 housing and neighborhood revitalization bills through Congress. Following turmoil across America in the 1960’s, we undertook priorities to help rebuild neighborhoods in cities across America.
3. What is your best personal memory of the Carter-Mondale experience?
Having the opportunity to bear witness to such an incredible display of true patriotism remains one of my greatest memories from my time with the Administration. From how he fought for the everyday American living in poor neighborhoods to how he diplomatically negotiated some of our nation’s toughest agreements in the Middle East, President Carter always put the American people first. He served our nation until the end of his life, a reminder that public service was never just a job to him. My fondest memory was standing on the White House lawn to witness the signing ceremony of a peace agreement between Egypt and Israel that President Carter helped to broker between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin.
4. How did the experience affect your life?
Working with the Carter-Mondale Administration did not just affect my life, it changed my life. President Carter inspired me to devote my life to public service, standing up for my fellow Ohioans, and to help make a better world. His steadfast dedication to his roots and his home state is a model for how I seek to show up for the people of Northwest Ohio. I ran for my first term in Congress shortly after I finished my role in the Carter White House. Now, I serve as Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee, a position that would not be possible without President Carter’s creation of the modern Department of Energy during his Presidency.