Ben Rich, Congressional Chief of Staff

Editor’s Note: Senior Political Correspondent Chris Reyes (left) interviewed the Chief of Staff of Congressman Bill Pascrell, our representative in Congress, in October, shortly before the election. Since then, we re-elected Mr. Pascrell, and sent him and his right hand man, Ben Rich, back to Washington.

Interesting bit of trivia: This up-and-coming political operative is the son of a SET teacher. Guess who?

            I recently got the opportunity to interview Congressman Bill Pascrell’s Chief of Staff, Ben Rich, and I had a lot to ask him. Mr. Rich graduated from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and majored in political science. He grew up in New Jersey where he developed his interest in politics while interning for Congressman Pascrell.

I asked him what advice he would give to someone who wants to go down the same career path. He said, “See what area you would want to work in. Try different internships. Don’t be afraid to try different careers. Always work hard and never say no.”

What is a Chief of Staff, anyway? He said a Chief of Staff is “someone who works closely with the congressman and makes sure everything is set up and reaches high expectations.” His first impression of Bill Pascrell was that he is the type of guy he hopes all congressman could be. He cares about the people of New Jersey and tries his best to help them in every way.

President Barack Obama and Congressional Chief of Staff Ben Rich.

Mr. Rich’s main goal is to get Bill Pascrell reelected because he is doing a brilliant job and should continue. They lost several towns but regained others in the Bergen county area. I asked him his thoughts on The Presidential Election; he believes Obama had several rough years and if he isn’t reelected it would be detrimental. His job is very exciting but can get very tough especially when Congress is in session and a gridlock takes place (when both parties cannot reach an agreement.) I asked him if he could change anything in Congress what would it be? He would change gridlock from happening because the issues cannot be solved.

“Congress is well planned but you cannot account for the congressman’s actions during a session,” said Mr. Rich.                     

Mr. Rich is happy to be a part of Bill Pascrell’s staff and wouldn’t have it any other way. When former president Bill Clinton spoke on behalf of Congressman Pascrell right here in our school, Mr. Rich said it was fantastic for the Pascrell campaign, and for New Jersey. Mr. Rich is thankful for his mother who taught him the importance of public service. She inspired him to fight for what to believe in and for those who need the help that is owed to them.

The next time Congress is in session will be what they call a “lame-duck session” which is what they call the time between the election and when new people start in January. There will be a lot of hopes of actually getting something done.