The Final Word: Brian Egolf: Speaker, New Mexico House of Representatives.

• Author: Andrade, Jane Carroll
• Position: Interview

Attorney Brian Egolf's New Mexico roots go back to territorial days, when his great-grandfather served as a county delegate to Teddy Roosevelt's Progressive Party Convention. Before establishing a law practice in Santa Fe, Egolf worked at the White House, the Treasury Department and for a congressman. He attended Georgetown University and graduated magna cum laude from the University of New Mexico School of Law. Elected to the House in 2008, Egolf was elected speaker in 2017.

What is your leadership style?

I talk a lot about this idea of durable solutions--that for the biggest problems you want a durable solution that will last year after year. From the moment I was elected speaker, the core thing I insisted on was that we've got to have people from all sides at the table talking and trying to find solutions that will work and stick. The other big theme for me is ending the weaponization of government. For way too long, governors and legislative leaders would deploy the power of government either to punish an enemy or to reward a friend. I won't tolerate it.

You were elected speaker by acclamation. How did that inform your approach to the job?

In fairness, I was elected by acclamation probably because the Republicans nominated someone to be speaker who declined the nomination and they didn't have a backup plan. Nevertheless, it had a big impact on me. It really brought into focus that you are speaker of the whole House. It reinforced my desire to be as bipartisan as the members would allow, and to reach out in meaningful ways, not just on easy bills.

What are your thoughts about professional versus citizen legislatures?

The concept of citizen public servants is great. But it's very much outweighed by the detriment caused by having no pay and no staff. And it's a detriment to candidate recruitment. We've got members from the Navajo Nation who drive four and a half hours. We have folks who have six-and-a-half-hour drives for a job that doesn't pay anything and gives you per diem that covers 80% of the...