Speakers: The Gavel Comes With Power, But Also A Lonely Ride Home

(Source: MIRS.news, Published 08/27/2026) (CHICAGO) – Holding the speaker's gavel may look powerful from the outside, but four state House leaders said the job often means exhaustion, imperfect choices and a degree of isolation that rank-and-file lawmakers and the public don't always see.

“It is a long, lonely ride home from Dover,” said Delaware House Speaker Melissa Minor-Brown during a National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) panel featuring speakers from Delaware, Kentucky, Oregon and Utah.

Minor-Brown said she understood the authority that came with the job when she became speaker, but quickly learned about its weight.

Every decision has consequences, she said, and the choices facing a speaker usually aren't between something clearly right and something clearly wrong. More often, the job involves choosing among imperfect options and trying to determine the best path forward.

Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne said one of the most difficult parts of the position is that speakers can't always be the legislators they personally would prefer to be.

A speaker may have to cast a vote differently than he or she otherwise would because of negotiations needed to build consensus, move legislation or serve the broader interests of the state.

Osborne said he wishes there were a better way to explain that reality to constituents.

Oregon House Speaker Julie Fahey described a similar balancing act. She still represents her own district, but as speaker she must consider the priorities of the entire state while managing the Legislature's agenda.

She said lawmakers sometimes approach her with an issue that is extremely important to them but may not rank among the state's most urgent concerns. Her responsibility is to listen while also deciding what the chamber has the time and capacity to address.

Listening and consensus-building were among the most important skills cited by the four speakers, who also included Utah House Speaker Mike Schultz.

None said there was any real way to prepare for becoming speaker. Several relied on conversations with former chamber leaders for guidance.

Osborne said the job also requires keeping confidences that can make the position more isolating. Members may question a decision without knowing information that was shared with the speaker privately and can't be disclosed without betraying someone's trust.

He described serving as speaker as operating in a “constant state of exhaustion.”

That makes having people around who will challenge the speaker particularly important, Osborne said.

“I have made it a mission to make sure I have friends good enough to hurt my feelings,” he said. “So few people will be that kind of friend, especially if I have a gavel in my hand.”

Fahey said speakers also have obligations that go well beyond legislation. The Legislature is a workplace, she said, and chamber leaders effectively serve as co-CEOs responsible for ensuring it functions as an employer.

The speakers also said disagreement shouldn't automatically be viewed as a failure of leadership.

Schultz said there is no universal answer for when a speaker should allow a debate to continue and when it should end, but he tries to keep disagreements focused on policy rather than personalities and emotions.

Osborne said legislative leaders can become too concerned with avoiding conflict.

He said he tries to ensure members are heard before a decision is made, even when members of his caucus would prefer to cut off debate.

If lawmakers “had the nerve” to bring legislation forward, Osborne said, they should also have the nerve to hear the arguments against it.

At the same time, he warned that political theatrics and performative debate can undermine public confidence in the institution.

Despite the hours and pressure, the speakers said the job can still be energizing when legislation produces a tangible benefit for constituents.

Minor-Brown said hearing directly from someone whose life was improved by a policy is one of the things that makes the difficult parts of the job worthwhile.

As for finding time away from the Legislature, Minor-Brown joked that speakers don't get to have much fun.

Fahey offered her own example of recreation.

“I go to legislative summits,” she said.