Balloons and bassoons, camels and comedy: unusual occupations give these lawmakers unique perspectives on legislative work.

• Author: Cullen, Morgan
• Position: LEGISLATORS

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Many people have several careers over the course of their lives. Senator Curtis Bramble (R) of Utah is having them all at once. He's a CPA with an active tax practice, vice president of an insurance verification company, managing partner of a home warranty business, a consultant and expert court witness, and the owner of Stars and Stripes, a hot air balloon business. And it's that last business--the balloon--that really turns heads.

"Ever since seeing 'The Wizard of Oz' as a boy, I had thought it would be neat to ride in a balloon," he says.

So when the city of Provo conjured up the idea in 1983 of hosting a balloon festival as part of its Fourth of July celebration, Bramble seized the opportunity. Within months he'd earned his pilot's license, balloon rating and instructor's certification, and incidentally formed a business and learned how to run a festival. Since then the business and his piloting career have "taken off."

How does this relate to being a legislator? It's not about the "hot air." Instead, Bramble says that in a balloon "you can only go where the wind goes, but the skilled pilot will find that one layer of air that will take you where you want to go. Politically, you can do the same thing, notwithstanding the prevailing winds. You can accomplish what you need to do, but only as slow or as fast as the wind will take you. If you're patient."

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Bramble may be a bit of an overachiever, but many legislators hold several jobs, and some of those jobs are just as unusual as his. We've pulled together a few "odd jobs" from around the states, but we'd like to know about others. If you have an offbeat job, please let us know.

Maine Representative Russell Black, maple sugar producer

Representative Russell Black (R) of Maine is one sweet guy. He makes his living producing maple sugar and honey, among other things, on his diversified farm. "Unless you're a potato farmer or a dairy farmer, there isn't enough income doing any one thing on a farm in Maine. We do what we have to in order to pay the bills." He is a fourth generation farmer on the same land.

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This year, his first in the Legislature, he doubled his maple sugar production, a bit of a surprise since the Maine Legislature meets from January to April or June, depending on the year--and sugaring is possible only in March.

Black sees maple sugaring through a policy perspective as well as a business perspective. One...