Vincent Prieto: speaker of the New Jersey General Assembly.

• Position: THE FINAL WORD - Interview

Vincent Prieto was elected to the New Jersey General Assembly in 2004 and served as deputy majority whip and budget committee chair before becoming speaker in 2014. Born in Cuba, Prieto was 10 when he immigrated to the United States with his mother. Before his election, he earned certifications in construction code and fire technology. He currently serves as a construction code official for the town of Secaucus.

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What is your legislative priority in 2016 and why?

Our Transportation Trust Fund. It's so important for us because we're a corridor state. We get a lot of traffic through here--that's what makes New Jersey attractive for businesses to locate here. By putting revenue into our old, aging infrastructure and by putting people to work in construction jobs, this will spur our economy.

How has being an immigrant affected your perspective on public policy?

I see everything from both sides of the equation.

I see why there's a need for a lot of safety-net programs to lend a helping hand to people. But at the same time, I see all the incentives that we do in business to keep some type of a balance. When we got here, a lot of people helped us, so that has given me the drive to help people and make it a better place.

So I apply that to how I work on getting legislation done. "Good" legislation is something everybody can live with. So you strive for good--that way everybody gets something. I'm not a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty kind of guy. I say if you have a little bit of water in the glass, you can always quench your thirst.

Are you an example of the American Dream and does it still exist?

I definitely think I am, and I think it definitely does. If you work hard enough here, you have all the opportunities. In New Jersey you have a thorough and efficient education that our constitution mandates. So we are giving you those resources and tools to arm yourselves to go to the next level. I've gotten to places that I never would have envisioned. The American Dream is achievable. It's not easy. Nobody's going to hand you anything. You've got to work for it.

What does it take to be an effective leader?

It's a combination of things. It's being willing to make tough decisions, but also being willing to listen. And it's the ability to compromise. Sometimes for people compromise is, "You come to my side," but it's really somewhere in the middle. I don't mind going beyond the middle, but you always have to get something. It...