Dynamic Donna: Congresswoman, Georgetowner
By • March 26, 2019 0 382
As we wait for the arrival of the freshly minted Rep. Donna Shalala in her office in the Longworth Building on Capitol Hill, her communications director, Joseph Puente, offers us Cuban coffee. After all, Democrat Shalala represents Florida’s 27th District in Miami-Dade County, comprising Key Biscayne, Coral Gables and much of the City of Miami — notably the Cuban American neighborhood known as Little Havana.
It is Shalala, president of the University of Miami for 15 years, who asked to meet with The Georgetowner, wanting to reintroduce herself to the town now that she lives and works in Washington, D.C.
Soon enough, Shalala arrives at the office, after being on the floor of the House of Representatives for her first Capitol Hill vote.
On Jan. 30, Shalala introduced her first bill, titled the Venezuela Arms Restriction Act, bipartisan legislation to prohibit the export of defense articles and crime control materials from the United States to the security forces of Venezuela.
The energetic 78-year-old legislator doesn’t miss a beat as she greets us and sits down to talk. An accomplished educator as well as a former Cabinet secretary, Shalala leads the conversation and knows exactly what she’s talking about.
She hits most of the standard Democratic positions that she is working on with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who happens to live two blocks from her on the Georgetown waterfront. The two legislators are with the mainstream, pragmatic group.
“The interesting thing about the newcomers is that they’ve had real jobs before,” Shalala says. “They’re pretty smart. It is a different kind of person that has gotten elected and given Nancy the majority. They’re pragmatic progressives — not left-wing socialists, as portrayed in the press. We are being treated very well.”
“I’m optimistic. You get things done being bipartisan,” she says. “There’s a partisan edge now.”Evenwhenhercolleagueswerefighting with Newt Gingrich it wasn’t this bad, she says.
Shalala came to D.C. to work at Housing and Urban Development under President Carter. She served as Health and Human Services secretary under President Clinton throughout his two terms. And her resume includes other impressive posts; she was president of Hunter College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with the University of Miami.
Whether on Olive Street, 33rd Street — even Kay Halle’s house on Dent Place — and now Water Street, Shalala has had a place in Georgetown since 1977. She lists Cafe Milano and Moby Dick among her favorite eateries. “I’m a Georgetowner,” she says, “and dedicated to Georgetown.” Be sure to say hello to the congresswoman as she is zipping around town. She may be on the move, but will certainly stop and say hello. Just be quick about it. Visit Georgetowner.com for the full story.
