VCC Magazine Spring 2018

V irginia C apitol C onnections , S pring 2018 8 For House Speaker, it's a whole new ball game By Bonnie Atwood For the Honorable M. Kirkland (“Kirk”) Cox, Virginia General Assembly Session 2018 was a whole new ball game. Cox has just finished his first year in the prestigious and powerful role as “Speaker of the House.” To reach the level of “Mr. Speaker,” a legislator has to have spent years earning the respect of his colleagues. The title is not based on seniority, although Cox has risen to second in seniority in the House. Topped in seniority only by Delegate Ken Plum, Cox has been a state legislator since 1990. He represents Colonial Heights and part of Chesterfield County. The speaker must be elected by the body, and generally is of the majority party, which in this case is Republican. Cox, like other speakers before him, demonstrated his ability in House Leadership. He seems to have taken to the challenging new role gracefully. “I think I was well prepared,” said Cox, praising former Speaker, Bill Howell, for his assistance. Cox said some of the keys to success are that he has forged a good relationship with the Democratic Governor Ralph Northam, and that he is not averse to compromise when necessary. The role of Speaker is one that carries much more than the formality of conducting House sessions. The Speaker, said Cox, can drive policy out. This past year he took the leading role in several issues: teacher shortages, military spouses, and dual enrollment, for example. The speaker is still considered a legislator, so he pushes bills that he thinks benefit the Commonwealth. A Speaker can also launch initiatives, such as Cox’s “Select Committee on School Safety,” which he formed in March. It is tasked with reviewing state and local policies on school safety and making recommendations for consideration by the General Assembly during the 2019 Session. Cox grew up in the district he now represents, in a family committed to teaching. His mother was a high school teacher, giving instruction in business, typing and shorthand. His father was an accountant. His older brother is now superintendent of Colonial Heights Public Schools, and he himself was a government and history teacher for 30 years, in the Petersburg and Chesterfield area. Cox, 60, retired in 2012. Cox graduated college at James Madison. His wife Julie was in Phi Beta Kappa and earned her degree fromWilliam and Mary. They met while in college when they were both waiting tables at the Swift Creek Mill dinner theater. Julie now works as a crisis counselor. The Speaker’s interest in electoral politics is not hard to trace. In high school, he ran for vice president and treasurer for his Student Government Association. Meanwhile, his other passion was for sports. “I always loved sports,” he said. While teaching, he coached basketball and baseball. An early dream was to play with the Yankees as a shortstop. In 1984, Cox played shortstop on a team that won the U.S. Specialty Sports Association Championship. Now, he and his wife keep up with the sports interests of their four sons: Layne works in lifeguard service, Carter is at JMU, Blake attends Sacred Heart University in Connecticut, and Cameron is enrolled at University of Virginia. Cox’s interest in politics inspired him to go for “a firsthand experience on how government works.” And “firsthand,” it was. After working on some campaigns, he became the governor’s driver in 1985. The driver, he explained, is one of the closest assistants to the governor. That experience served him well. He “fell in love with state politics,” and he learned the three basics of elections: policy, strategy, and polling. It was about that time that he and Julie got married and their wedding was packed with political V.I.P.’s. Committing to the Republican Party was a natural choice for Cox. He said that he considers his view to be conservative, and he believes in the tenets of the party. While he cares deeply about health and safety and other concerns, he said, he leans toward work ethic, less government, and believing that people can make sound decisions for themselves. Another major influence in his life has been his faith. He is active at The Heights Baptist Church. He admires Speaker Howell’s tradition of Wednesday Bible Study, an early morning, bipartisan meeting open to the Capitol Square community. He said that there are other Bible study groups, as well. The world is changing fast. Cox acknowledges that the career of teaching is more “complex” than it used to be. As for advice for young people who would choose a political career, or otherwise, he has one word: “Participate.” Cox still sees our government as “a shining city on a hill” and “a great experiment.” The subjects he taught—government and history—he said he sees as the most important subjects that students can learn. The Speaker believes the experiment can work—if people participate. V