.png)
Freshman
lawmaker
Gonzalez starting term with a clean slate, empty office
Sabrina
Eaton
seaton@cleveland
.com
Gonzalez
After
spending the wee hours of Thursday morning in a hospital emergency room with
his eight-monthold son, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez reported to his cramped official
suite in the Longworth House Office Building, where he greeted well- wishers
with coffee and muffins without the company of his exhausted wife and baby. He
said the baby would be fine, but needed sleep to recover from his digestive
misadventure.
The Rocky
River Republican's office walls were bare. His desk held only a few items of
newly issued congressional paperwork. The only decoration in the suite was a
bobblehead of Gonzalez from his days as an Indianapolis Colts wide receiver.
But many
members of Gonzalez' family were there, as were some of his political
supporters from Ohio. A line of guests eager to meet him and his staff snaked
into the hallway.
''We were
with him through the whole campaign, and we are here to support him now,'' said
Tim Zvoncheck of Strongsville, who is commander of VFW Post 3345. ''I was very
happy to see someone like Anthony get elected.''
Although
Gonzalez first rose to prominence as an Ohio State and NFL football player, he
says future visitors probably won't find much gridiron memorabilia in his
office, save for his old Buckeyes football helmet which he plans to let guest
try on.
''I want
this office to be a museum to the district, not me,'' said Gonzalez, who
intends to fill its shelves with keepsakes from local businesses and
constituents.
Gonzalez
said he'd only been to Washington three or four times before he ran for
Congress. After leaving
professional football and getting an MBA degree from Stanford, he decided
to pursue his longtime interest in politics.
Gonzalez
set his sights on Congress after a conversation where former Ohio
State University football coach Jim Tressel advised him to go
where he felt he could be the most useful. Given its
dysfunction, Gonzalez thought Congress would be that place.
He sought the safely Republicanseat that former Rep. Jim Renacci
vacated to run for the Senate, and won it by defeating Democrat Susan Moran
Palmer last November.
Gonzalez
says he plans to open district offices in Strongsville and Canton, and develop
a top-notch service operation to help constituents navigate Washington's
bureaucracy. He also intends to spend his first 90 days in office figuring out
how Congress operates.
Although
he hasn't yet got any committee assignments, he'd like to serve on the House
Financial Services Committee.
He says his legislative priorities will
include making health care more affordable, reducing prescription drug prices,
and reviewing the nation's trade deals. He says
he supports the border wall that President Donald Trump wants to build as well
as the $5 billion in funds that Trump seeks, and that he'll vote against a
Democratic plan that would provide less money.
''This is a perfect opportunity to show
the American people how we are willing to negotiate,'' said Gonazlez, a
descendent of Cuban immigrants who says he supports legal immigration.
Gonzalez
says he's already met with most other members of Congress from Ohio, and said
he's particularly eager to work with Columbus Democrat Joyce Beatty, whom he
met at a football game between Ohio State and Michigan.
''We have a great delegation,'' he
said. ''It's all about working for Ohio and doing what's right for the state.''
Ryan
Stenger, a former chief-staffer to Rep. Bob Gibbs who stopped by to wish
Gonzalez well, called him ''a breath of fresh air'' and predicted his lack of
prior elective experience will be an asset.
