Christopher Engel

Communications 110
Career Interview
October 11, 2017

Eric Reath is currently the Director of Outreach for Congressman Lloyd

Smuckers Staff. His offices are located at 51 South Duke Street in downtown Lancaster,

and can be reached in the Congressmans office at 717-393-0667. Mr. Reath has held

this position with Congressman Smucker since Smucker was inaugurated into office this

past January. Prior to working with the congressman, Reath was working on State

Representative Keith Grieners staff. Reath attended American University where he

double majored in Political Science and Law. I was able to meet with Mr. Reath in his

office on South Duke Street during his lunch hour on September 28th. Mr. Reaths

position with Congressman Smucker is one I find very intriguing because Reath is

responsible for reaching out to the Congressmans constituents and setting up meetings

and discussion boards that involve the congressman. Reath takes on a large responsibility

when reaching out on the congressmans behalf to speak with Constituents.

What has motivated your desire to have a career in politics and government?

Being a public servant can be a thankless job, especially when receiving phone

calls every 5 minutes from random constituents reminding you that they will not vote for

your office come next election season. However, its the satisfaction of seeing these

people being participate in a democracy that makes Mr. Reath love his job. Even

something has simple as setting up a committee meeting may take months, seeing
different committees in one room, discussing local issues, is worth those weeks of

struggle.

Has being involved with Congressman Smucker sparked interest in other related

activates outside of the office?

When youre involved in a public officials office, youre almost forced to make

connections and be involved with other organizations. Especially when youre the

Director of Outreach, youre expected to make your presence felt in the community in a

positive manner. Mr. Reath did this by joining the Republican Committee of Lancaster

back in 2010 when he was still just a student, interning with another public official.

Reaths strong connection and years of service with the Republican Committee of

Lancaster opened up many other doors for him. This past March, Mr. Reath was chosen

as Vice Chair to the Pennsylvania Young Republicans. Its fair to say that reaching out

and making strong connections comes naturally to Eric.

Is there a change of pace to your job when election season comes?

Public Officials main focus is public service, until election season. Once

politicians begin their campaign run, their offices turn into completely different places.

There are still staff to answer phones for the current public office holder, but most of that

persons staff arent answering phones, but dialing them. This past election season,

Reath called well over 300 constituents a day, reminding them of the upcoming election.
How long those phone calls would take would depend on the person answering. Some

would spend minutes to complain about their dissatisfaction with their candidate, and

some would hang up the phone right away. Its mainly a lot of phone calls and public

appearances, but it fills your schedule for several months.

I highly valued my time with Mr. Reath. Ive always enjoyed discussing

legislation with others, and I have a minor interest in politics. But most importantly, I

enjoy helping people and serving the public. Learning about Mr. Reaths education

background intimated me a bit, because American University is a very accomplished

school. Also, Mr. Reath has dedicated a lot of his time outside of work to this profession

as well. I found his job to be very busy with travel, but that was pleasant surprise to me,

because I enjoy being on the road and speaking with clients. I could see myself in this

position because I enjoy discussing issues with constituents and hearing their needs. I

also enjoy bringing people together to solve a problem for the good of the people. This

job seems to be a commitment, but Mr. Reath treats that commitment with dedication,

and it inspires me to work in public service.