In addition to our legislative clerks and the many staff who keep the Capitol running, there’s another team you might not notice right away but we would absolutely fall apart without them. Our Senate Pages.
Pages are typically high school students who serve in a nonpartisan role, helping keep the day-to-day work of the Senate moving. They deliver messages, prep the chamber before session, and somehow manage to be everywhere at once exactly when you need them. They spend their days right in the middle of the action, getting a firsthand look at how this place works, while picking up a level of care, responsibility and professionalism that honestly puts most of my colleagues to shame!
Like any long-standing institution, the Legislature has its fair share of traditions and… let’s call them “rules.” Pages are not allowed to walk down the center aisle, walk ahead of a legislator, not to step off an elevator first. And every now and then, they’re told they’re meant to be seen and not heard. You can imagine how I feel about that one. These young people bring so much levity into this space, and some of the best conversations I’ve had this session have been with them.
On Tuesday night, I got to take part in one of my new favorite traditions, the annual Page Dinner. Members from both parties gather outside the Capitol to celebrate these students and, in return, the Pages put on a short performance, which is generally a gentle (much-deserved) roast of the legislators.
This year’s theme was “Family Feud: Iowa Senate Edition,” with Pages playing the roles of senators. Out of all 50 senators, only 16 made the cut - including yours truly! I was portrayed by Paige Neighbors from Johnston, who did not hold back. The room was full of belly laughter.
For those wondering, yes, I was roasted for filming TikToks in the Senate chamber. Fair. I was also called out for my standing advice to Pages to never apologize to me, which has now turned into them finding increasingly creative ways to apologize to me anyway.
It was one of those nights that I will remember fondly. These young people are paying attention, asking questions, and bringing fresh perspective into a space that can certainly use more of it - they make this place better just by being in it.