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| Category: Autobiography |
(requires Adobe Reader)
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| About the Book | |
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Interim Report—3rd Edition is an autobiography by a former state legislator—something you can’t find in any bookstore. I had the rare privilege to live my dream by serving with my father in the state legislature. It was the central defining experience of my professional career.
The first third of Interim Report covers my life before I was elected to the legislature. The middle third describes the three very different two-year terms I served in the Michigan Legislature. The final third of the book portrays my life after I left the legislature. The 73rd Michigan Legislature was one of the first modern legislatures in the nation. It began with a massive turnover of membership caused by the unique confluence of three historic events—adoption of a new state constitution, a landmark United States Supreme Court decision, and a landslide election. Chapter 06 recalls my experiences as a member of the new majority. It explains my work on the House appropriating committee, my rapid assimilation into the legislative culture, and my emergence as a leader of the forbidden freshman caucus. Interim Report is about politics and the lawmaking process. Chapter 06 is a 62-page condensed excerpt from my legislative memoir, Backbencher ©2002 (318 pages). Chapter 07 is a 52-page narrative of my second term. When the 74th Michigan Legislature convened, each party occupied half of the seats in the House of Representatives. The Republican caucus rejected the shared-control plan contained in the House Rules. Aided by a defector, the GOP seized control of the House. Then they needed Democratic votes to help pass the key bill of Governor Romney’s “fiscal reform” package, the personal income tax. Chapter 08 is a 50-page report of the challenges I faced as Majority Floor Leader after our party regained control of the House by a slim 57-53 margin. The three central chapters contain more than six times as much detail per year than other chapters. They present a frank exposition of the exigencies of the legislative process—designed especially for those with an interest in this fascinating field of human endeavor. The first third of Interim Report, Chapters 01 through 05, portray my life prior to my election to the Legislature. Chapters 01 and 02 relate my growing up in the City of Detroit during the depression, WWII, and the immediate post-war era. It covers my schooling and childhood experiences including my trip with Dad to the 1948 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. Chapter 03 reviews my college years at Wayne University. Chapter 04 summarizes my service in the US Army, including my “camera tour of Korea.” Chapter 05 recalls my early career as an elementary teacher in Hazel Park and Livonia, and also recounts my efforts to help Dad return to the legislature after a 12-year hiatus. It reveals how I finally won a legislative seat in 1964, and then attended our state convention, the New Majority Caucus, and New Member Orientation at the State Capitol. The final third of Interim Report depicts my life after I left the Legislature and resumed my teaching career. Chapter 09 reviews my career as a community college professor teaching the basic course in American Government. It also explains our legal challenge to state action that decreased the equity of the state school aid act, Montgomery v. Milliken (1972). As Dad served five more terms after I left the legislature, I often visited him at the Capitol during the years 1971-1980. Chapter 10 completes my teaching career at Oakland Community College, which included teaching some computer science classes. Finally, Chapter 11 describes my life as a retiree and author. Chapters 00 and 12 are bookends enclosing my story. Chapter 00 explains why and how I wrote this autobiography. Writing an autobiography requires acceptance of accountability for your life choices. It affords the author an opportunity to make some sense out of his life. That is what I tried to do in Chapter 12 of Interim Report. When a lawmaker sponsors a bill that becomes law it becomes like one of his children. I have listed some enactments in which I feel parental pride.
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| About the Author | |
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George Montgomery was born to teach. He enjoyed working with students, and the thrill of watching them grasp an idea. He lived his dream by serving six years with his father in the Michigan Legislature. The Democratic Caucus elected George to serve as Majority Floor Leader during his third term. |