2016 Directory

24 WYOMING ARCHITECTURE .16 | www.aia-wyoming.org I nWyoming, it is very rare to have architects run for political office. I have been asked frequently why I felt the need to run for the State Legislature. And on at least two occasions I have been asked, “Was there something you were seeking to change in your avocation?” My answer is always that I sought public office as means of furthering my lifelong commitment to public service and volunteerism after a nearly 24-year service to my country in the US Air Force, and not a response to some burning issue that I had. Unlike many who run for legislative positions as a means to change perceived inequities in their field of work, I did not pursue a seat in theWyoming Senate with the thought of affecting any particular outcome in the field of architecture. Many of us in our profession have not sought involvement in politics because we, as architects, tend to be myopic in our view of the world. Architects become so focused on their profession, on design, on projects, that to some extent, we become oblivious to how the world outside of architecture affects our profession. That was true inmy case. It was not until I joined the Air Force, and particularly when I became the Commander of theWyoming Air Guard, and had to advocate for resources to accomplish the mission, that I truly realized how politically driven everything in our society is. While I prefer to think of myself as an elected official rather than a pol- itician, the title does come with baggage. The termpolitician these days, thanks to many on the national scene, has taken on a different meaning. Politicians, for many, denote a person who acts in a ma- nipulative and devious way to attain his/her goals. I have tried hard to portray myself differently, however, and prefer a different definition: a politician, inmy opinion, should be a “public servant.” I have come to truly see myself in a servant role, trying to affect positive outcomes not for me, but for the public that I serve. If you choose to use my definition, then being an architect is not very different from being a politician. Both are responsible to the people and groups that they seek to serve. In the politician's case, it’s the electorate they represent, and in the architect’s case it’s the clients and users who interface with the built environment they seek to shape. Architects are specially equipped to combine the left brain with the right brain, which gives us a unique ability to look at things from all sides—a skill that is invaluable in politics. Architects also tend to have good communication skills, which help to bring people together with different views toward a better solution. Since being elected, I have sought to seek consensus onmany issues where people do not fully agree. If you think of it, don’t we do that as architects? We work with very diverse groups of people: clients, regulators, contractors, the public, various engineers, and other specialty designers. For each project, we orchestrate an effort to make sure that the end product is representative of everybody's expertise, knowledge, and input, in order to create facilities that solve our client’s problems and add value to our environment. I truly enjoy the work I do in theWyoming Senate and am thankful for the opportunity to serve. While by no means easy and quite demanding of one’s time, the work is incredibly fulfilling. I would encourage others in architecture to think about serving in some elected capacity. Our cities, towns, counties, and State would be better off withmore “architect thinking” in local and State governance, because we truly have that unique ability to discover, understand, and develop creative solutions. b AIA Citizen Architect BY STEPHAN A. PAPPAS , AIA, STATE SENATOR Senator Chris Rothfuss and Senator Stephan Pappas