A Growing Politician

On Oct. 3, John Jay High School received an extraordinary visitor—Sean Patrick Maloney. Mr. Maloney is currently the 2012 Democratic nominee for New York’s 18^thCongressional District, running for the position in the United States House of Representatives. The debate club’s president, AJ Nandi, who volunteers at Maloney’s campaign office, managed to have Maloney visit and talk to the school’s debate team about his life, politics, and the future.

“I hope my Republican opponent Nan Hayworth doesn’t mind me coming here and try to sway some young voters,” Maloney joked, as he made his way up the podium.

For an hour, Maloney talked to the school’s large debate team, many of whom have political aspirations, about his rise in the United States government.

“When I first graduated from the law schoo lof University of Virginia, I never expected to go into politics,” said Mr. Maloney. “As a matter of fact, I volunteered as a social worker in Peru for over a year. I just wanted to make a difference in people’s lives, but as time went on, I wanted to make an even bigger difference.”

That chance may have come when Sean Maloney was handpicked by President Clinton to become his new West Wing advisor, becoming the youngest White House Staff Secretary in the history of the United States. As senior staff secretary to President Clinton, Maloney was at the core of the communications center in the White House, relaying the most recent happenings and news to Clinton.

“It was one of the most memorable times of my life,” said Maloney. “To see the highest workings of the government working hard everyday to lead the country in the right direction… [I was] inspired to go into the public sector and started at the local level.”

Maloney entered the administrations o fNew York governors David Paterson and Elliot Spitzer as the First Deputy Secretary, until he ran for the office of New York’s Attorney General—and lost.

“That lost definitely made me rethink what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to do it,” said Maloney. “I realized I was getting too involved with the falling-outs with other administrations [like the Spitzer surveillance controversy] and decided to strike out on my own. And that’s what brought me to run for New York’s position in the House of Representatives.”

When asked by the students whether or not President Barack Obama will become reelected, Maloney laughed. “At this point, it’s a very close race. Both candidates are both very qualified and professional. But I think that Obama is the more passionate and devoted of the two, so I’m rooting for him.”

But later, he added, “I know I’ll be working my best for this country—as should everyone—regardless of today’s messy party affiliations and politics.”