NCLM Southern City Volume 71, Issue 3, 2021

SOUTHERN CITY QUARTER 3 2021 14 BEN BROWN NCLM Communications & Multimedia Strategist Busy Life to Busier Life: Senator Sydney Batch on the Day Job and Motherhood While Lawmaking THE LEAGUE’S QUARTERLY LEGISLATOR Q&A. As a working mother of young children, Senator Sydney Batch of Apex isn’t the General Assembly’s usual demographic. Of course, it’s no secret that it’s been easier for the retired or independently wealthy to run for busy elected office—like state House or Senate— as “part time” lawmakers who, between legislative sessions and interim committee meetings, are serving almost year-round. As Sen- ator Batch, a family law attorney, tells it, serving in public office was the last thing she imagined herself doing. But, in an interview with Southern City from her legislative office in Raleigh, she said she’s always been the kind to fight for the people who might not feel so linked with the typical power demography on either side of the aisle, and that she saw an opportunity to maximize the number of people she might help with her life experience and expertise in social work and family law. The following is the relevant portion of that interview. ˘˘˘ How do you feel about the 2021 session at this point? (Editor’s note: This interview was in mid-August as lawmakers were still hammering out a state budget to send the governor.) SB : So, I had the advantage, in 2018 when I was in the House, coming in at a time in which we’re told as new members that your session is going to be ... until July. And then we didn’t get out until I think that year in late October, maybe early November. So I was baptized by the fire. And I expected, unlike some of my other freshmen colleagues that I’m serving with now in the Senate, to be here at this point. So I am not surprised. I think it’s frustrat- ing because, honestly, it’s really hard if we’re a citizen legisla- ture, which we are, and we get paid (less than) $15,000, it’s very difficult for someone with a job, right? And with young kids, like I have, (it’s a challenge) to actually be able to work their full-time job and be able to serve in the legislature. And I’ve got the luxury and the good fortune of being in Wake County. My law firm is down the street and the judges (work with the legislative schedule, being local). But if I was in Pender County as a litigating attorney or a real estate agent, or a doctor—you don’t have that ability. There’s long been a conversation about the public’s ability to serve outside of being retired or independently wealthy… SB : We don’t have as many individuals from all walks of life. And I think that’s what makes up a good government, especially as citizen-led government means we have all different and diverse experiences, and decreasingly so we’ve seen that over the years just because it’s very difficult for people … with the (lawmaker) salary to then be in a situation where they still have to work for a living and earn their keep. How would you characterize the work of the legislature this year? SB : I don’t know how the House has been. I think that we’ve actu- ally been for the most part more collaborative, and it’s been nice to see we’ve worked on legislation. There’s some things that have been hot topic and hot button issues—that’s the nature of politics. Ninety-five percent of the time we’re agreeing on it. The 5% is all that you hear in the media. So I think that we’ve been able to have an opportunity to go ahead and pass some good legislation and some reform that has been necessary, that we can find bipartisan- ship on. But I definitely would like to get to a point where we have a budget and I’m frustrated that this process has been as long as it has been. And that there’s been stops and starts and stops. With redistrict- ing happening as well. We’re probably not getting out of here until October or November again. So it’s exhausting. With your working, being a mom, younger than many legislators— that must give you perspective about approaches to policy, views, what you bring from your world, maybe even outcomes. SB : Perfect example is the first day of the 2019 session. We were getting sworn in. Representative (Ashton Wheeler) Clemmons and I were fortunate enough to be seatmates. And during the prayer, the person who was praying, was saying pray for all our grandchildren.