PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE: This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.

As the introduction to this blog indicates, I have been involved in public policy issues for more than 40 years, first as a state government manager and then as a state lobbyist.

During that time, I had the privilege to work with several top-level associates in our private firm, CFM Strategic Communications. It also has been a privilege to watch three of them to go on to bigger and better positions.

When I worked for a time in Washington, D.C. a number of years ago, I heard story after story about how those who worked for long-time Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield went on after positions in his office to make their own mark, both in D.C and in Oregon.

Now, to state what should be obvious, I don’t compare myself to the good and late senator from Oregon who was one of the best public officials I ever knew. But, I do take a bit of pride in watching “my” associates move on.

Here are the three examples:

• Erica Hetfeld, after several years with CFM, first as an intern, then as a public affairs associate in Salem, moved on to another lobby firm in Salem where she had more individual responsibility for clients. Then, she moved to direct a major association of business interests intent on building a stronger economic climate in Oregon. She is still here and took some justifiable pride in a role to kill a major, anti-business tax initiative at the polls last November.

• Beth Remley, again after several years with us, moved on to another lobby firm in Salem where she has increased responsibility for direct client management. She also is heavily involved in recruiting new clients. One of her credentials that impressed us and that she has used to her advantage is a degree in economics – and one of her favorite publications is, naturally, The Economist.

• Ellen Miller is the latest CFM associate to move on. After about five years with us, she is moving up to take a high-level management position in a major state agency where she will be asked to handle urban policy issues, as well as legislative relations. Ellen is the only person I know who had a degree in civil engineering, then a six-year practice in that discipline, before becoming a state lobbyist. She made a great transition then and she will make a new one now with great success.

The good news here is that the experience these individuals got at CFM made them eligible for more responsibility in new positions. Like many persons in their age group, far younger than me, they were not opposed to changing jobs from time to time. In my age group, many of us tended to remain in the same position, or at least the same discipline for a number of years.

But millennials are inclined to move around.

In this case of the three, they moved, not because of a “grass is greener view” elsewhere, but because they were ready for more responsibility.

As I said, I take pride in the role I played to groom these individuals to be ready for promotions. But they deserve what they go on the basis of their own credentials.