Some Recommended Reads for Our Elected Officials

Tomorrow is the first day of the legislative session in Annapolis, Maryland. In honor of our political leaders return to the statehouse, we thought we’d provide some recommendations on books our electeds may want to read as the session gets underway:

“Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised, 11th Edition”: This is THE book on parliamentary procedure. This revised edition includes new material relating to electronic communication and “electronic meetings.”  (For those representatives and senators who are too busy to read the full book, there’s also an In Brief version.)

“How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie: Just because they won the election doesn’t mean they’re done learning how to “win friends.” (And if they’re too busy, our politicos might find they should at least read the chapter on the 12 ways to win people to your way of thinking … especially with debates over issues like the gas tax on the horizon.)

“The Power Broker” by Robert Caro: Robert Moses could mobilize banks, contractors, labor unions, insurance firms, the press and the Church into an irresistible economic force that brought governors and mayors to their knees. As the political season — and lobbying — gets underway, some of our politicians may want to familiarize themselves with Moses’ MO to ensure they approach this political season with their eyes wide open.

“The Gilded Age” by Mark Twain:  This novel satirizes greed and political corruption in post-Civil War America. It may be a satire, but there’s still a lesson or two to be gleaned for our political leaders, who we hope won’t fall prey to the same forces.

We’re sure there are (many) more good/educational reads you all could recommend. So have at it. Comment below on what books you would put on a “to read” list for our elected officials.