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Congressman McHugh, left, visits Jeffrey Duffer of Lowville during a trip back to the 24th District.

From One Capital to Another

By Lisa James

     Congressmen Michael P. Forbes, B.A.’83, and John M. McHugh, M.P.A.’77, represent distinctly different districts from the opposite ends of New York State. They also took different paths to Washington. Both, however, credit their time at the University, especially their legislative internships, as a critical step along the way.

     As an assistant city manager in Watertown, McHugh felt that a graduate degree in public administration was necessary for him to advance. “After looking at a number of schools, the program at Albany seemed to be the best suited for my interests,” said McHugh, a Republican who represents the far-flung 24th District in northern New York. The M.P.A. program at Albany allowed him to do a graduate internship in the office of then-New York State Sen. H. Douglas Barclay, R-Watertown. McHugh says he had no political experience, but his graduate adviser, Richard Nunez, a professor of public administration and policy at the time, arranged the internship and McHugh stayed on after graduation. When Barclay chose not to run again nine years later, McHugh ran for his seat in 1984 and won.

     “If I had not attended the University, I probably would never have gotten into politics,” McHugh says.

     Forbes, a Republican who represents the First District on Long Island, says he always had an interest in government and politics and came to Albany because he wanted to attend school in the state capital.

McHugh addresses the Army’s 10th Mountain Division during the dedication of a new airfield at Fort Drum in Watertown, N.Y.

     “The added notion that politics and government education at the University were well-known throughout the state ultimately led me to Albany,” he said. Growing up in the 1960s, his interest in politics peaked early. “I was struck by the hope and optimism and opportunities to help people as embodied in what the late President John F. Kennedy talked about,” Forbes said. During his time at the University, he was an intern for Assembly Majority Leader Perry Duryea, R-Suffolk, for two years.

     “I received an excellent education at the University,” said Forbes, who majored in history and political science and wrote for the Albany Student Press. “The idea that I could work as an intern in the capitol and all the other opportunities made it a great personal experience. I really enjoyed my time there.”

     McHugh described his time at the University as intense. “The internship and the master’s program kept me very busy, but I also participated in intramural softball and football,” he said.

     Forbes, 46, a native of Riverhead, N.Y., is a member of the influential House Committee on Appropriations and a member of the Small Business Committee and has also placed a high priority on environmental issues, including introducing legislation to end the dumping of toxic materials into Long Island Sound. Now residing in Quogue, Long Island, he was elected to the House of Representatives for the first time in 1994. McHugh, 50, from Pierrepont Manor in Jefferson County, serves on the House Committee on National Security, which is responsible for everything from military affairs to government reform and oversight. He also sits on the International Relations Committee and the Government Reform and Oversight Committee. A state senator for four terms, he was first elected to Congress in 1992 and is now beginning his fourth term.

     Before his election to Congress, Forbes was Northeast regional director for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and owned a public relations and marketing firm. He was also a director of the U.S. Small Business Administration office in New York. McHugh began his public service career as a confidential assistant to the city manager in Watertown.

Congressman Forbes, center, meets with Kate Rea, his scheduler, and Tony Howard, his press secretary.