Area lawmakers take Oaths of Office

    The Pomp & Circumstance of government was on display this past Sunday (Jan. 4) at the Livingston County Historical Courthouse. Before family and friends, Dr. Henry Vaupel and Lana Theis took their Oaths of Office as members of the Michigan House of Representatives. Both were newly-elected to two-year terms in the recent General Election. Both are Republicans.

    Vaupel represents the 47^th District which includes the areas of Howell, Hartland, and Fowlerville, while Theis represents the 42nd District which covers the areas of Brighton and Hamburg-Pinckney.

    On hand for the ceremony were the two people they are replacing-- Bill Rogers and Cindy Denby-- neither of whom could run for their seats again due to term limits. In the House, the limit is three two-year terms.

   The setting gave the occasion a gravitas, taking place as it did inside the county’s original court chambers on the upper floor; a location where so many judicial proceedings have been held since the late 1800’s, where countless other (earlier) oaths-of-office were administered, with photos of past judges hanging on the walls, and with the ornate and colorful interior wall and ceiling designs evoking a long-age era.

   The oath for each of the new representatives was administered by the Honorable David. F. Viviano, a Michigan Supreme Court Justice. Justice Viviano had also been on the ballot in November and was elected to a new term. He had taken his own oath of office earlier in the week in Lansing.

    Preceding this main event was the Pledge of Allegiance, led by county commissioner Steve Williams, and the singing of the National Anthem by Deb Drick.

    Bill Rogers opened the ceremony with some observations, while Theis and Vaupel concluded the event with their respective remarks. Justice Viviano also gave a short speech.

    Three things stuck in my mind:

    Rogers talked about how quickly the six years will go by, noting that he and Denby had taken their Oaths of Office at the courthouse in January 2008. He pointed out that the new office-holders will be representing the interests of their constituents in Livingston County, but also the rest of Michigan’s 10 million residents. “At your seat on the House floor is a green bottom and a red bottom, and the one you decide to push will affect the lives of those 10 million people,” he said.

   Theis reminded the audience that the United States is the world’s oldest democracy, and that this ‘transfer of power’ is done in a peaceful and orderly manner. “That wasn’t the case before this country was established,” she said.

    Vaupel exclaimed how excited he was about this new responsibility, adding that it is important that people offer their views on the issues. T his, he said, would assist him in making decision.   

    Representative government, on occasions like this one, has an underlying majesty and eloquence. A man or woman rises from our midst and, through the validation of the ballot box, assumes power and influence. They can come from any and all stations of life. As Rogers suggested, this power ought to be exercised with a sense of responsibility, and done so judiciously, since it impacts so many others, now and in the future.

   On the same token, if they lose the vote or their term of office ends, the baton of power is passed on, and they return to our ranks. This transfer, as Lana Theis noted, is not done through violent uprising, a coup d'etat, or the point of a bayonet. Rather it’s done on a winter’s afternoon on the steps of our nation’s Capitol when, most notably, a new president takes office, in the chambers of that building when new U.S. Senators and Representatives take their oaths, on the steps of the State Capitol when a new Michigan Governor and other elected state officials begin their terms, and in a setting like this historical courthouse.

    This process we have—including campaigns, elections, the ceremonial transfer of power, and the ensuing business of  governance—is a give-and-take (and, on occasion, a push-and-shove) of new ideas being brought forth where they are compared and contrasted with more familiar approaches. This process allows new energy to burst forth into the wider pool of tradition and institutional processes where it can cause a splash, rock the boat, or be assimilated into the larger mass.

    During the give-and-take, there can be, and usually are, the inevitable clashes; the “us versus them” paradigm. But there can be a synergy that results from this initial tug-of-war; a synthesis that takes us beyond the confines of the present discussion and debate to a higher insight, a different perspective, and a bolder approach.

    In this republic, we entrust a few of our fellow citizens to represent the rest of us; to make decisions on our behalf. We understand, in doing so, that these people are the outcome of a partisan contest; that they espouse certain personal values and principles that may not be identical to our own; and that others may have a closer proximity to their ears.  Still, the oath they take implies that they represent each and every one of their constituents. When all is said and done, the duties of citizenship ought to trump the inclination of partisanship.

    The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence (our first representatives), in the concluding paragraph of this document, stated:  “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.” 

    Every office holder, since then, has had those words, this Oath, as the beacon to light their way forward. Not all have been honorable in their terms of office. Such is the reality of human nature. But most have and, in doing so, have sustained this “experiment in self-government.” We trust that the current crop will, likewise, fulfill this responsibility. We make that assumption, having heard them pledge that they will faithfully discharge the duties of their respective office “according to the best of my ability… so help me God.”