~by State Sen Jesse Green
May 14, 2021
Greetings friends and neighbors,
I would like to start doing something different once in a while and highlight some special people I’ve had the opportunity to meet and work with. This week I am going to introduce you to a young man you’ll meet if you visit the Capitol, Sam Sampson.
Sam is 20 years old and is serving his first year as the new Sergeant at Arms for the Iowa Senate. His job is to make sure that the Senate pages are on task, maintain order within the chamber itself, and make sure the ‘Bill Room’ is operating smoothly. The Bill Room is where copies of any new bills are made and then distributed to the senators. Even though this is Sam’s official first year in this position, he has been working here in some capacity for three years, so this is not all new to him. His predecessor, Jerry Carlisle, had been here for 20 years. Due to the new complications the pandemic presented at the Capitol, Jerry decided to retire from the Sergeant at Arms position.
Sam grew up in Missouri until his family was asked by the Army Reserves to move to Iowa. Since the move, Sam graduated from Ankeny Centennial High and has been studying to be a paralegal at DMACC in Ankeny. After graduating DMACC next summer, Sam hopes to work in a full-time position at the Capitol. If a full-time position isn’t available, he would like to work part-time at a law firm while also continuing his Sergeant at Arms duties.
Anytime there have been moments of down time in the chamber, you can always find Sam reading a book by the entrance to the chamber. His favorite book he likes to read is the book of Proverbs in the Bible. His favorite book other than the Bible is The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet. It is not surprising that Sam always has a great attitude, works hard, and is full of knowledge when you dig into his life.
I asked him what his favorite memory has been at the Capitol. He responded with a big smile and with a funny story of a fellow senator. Some days get very chaotic at the Capitol and a person can get very forgetful. One day a senator decided to walk to the Capitol for work instead of driving. Later on in the day, the senator sent Sam out to find something in the member’s car to bring into the Capitol. Sam looked very diligently in the parking lot, but could not find the car. When Sam approached the senator, he was disappointed in himself that he couldn’t complete the simple task that was asked of him. It then dawned on the senator what had happened and the two had a very memorable and long laugh about the situation!
My personal favorite memory of Sam has been when he has to remind me to wear my suit coat. The Senate has some strict rules on dress code. To be in the chamber when we are officially gaveled in, men must wear a tie and a jacket. In the Iowa House one must wear either a tie or a jacket, but wearing both is not required. During the start of session when it was cold outside, it took me a while to adjust to the daily habit of putting a heavy winter jacket over my suit coat. It seemed so strange to wear two coats. I showed up to the Senate chamber one winter morning accidentally forgetting my suit coat. Sam, along with the Secretary of the Senate, politely asked me to go back to my hotel to get my jacket. I’ll never forget the embarrassment and frustration at myself in that moment, but I learned a good lesson that day. I’m grateful for this experience and the lesson Sam taught me because I am now more disciplined. I still like to walk around without a jacket when it is not needed. A person can get away doing this when we are not officially gaveled in. I think it is more comfortable not to have a jacket on, but I’ll admit that there is the possibility that inside me there is a part of me that enjoys testing the boundaries. I still have a rebel spirit that I wrestle with like anyone else!
Happy trails until we meet again next week!
