August 21, 2008 11:09 AM

The first time I met Stephanie Tubbs-Jones

Like many of you, I was extremely sad to hear of the passing of Stephanie Tubbs-Jones last night. She was an amazing Congresswoman who stood staunchly for many of the issues I hold dear, such as empowering America's workers and bringing our troops home.

My first "real" job in Washington was as the field rep handling the Midwest for the National Association of Letter Carriers - that's the union your mailman/mailwoman belongs to. One of my responsibilities was to deliver campaign contributions from our PAC to members of Congress and candidates from my region, which included Ohio. That meant attending a lot of fundraising events, which I hated - those events felt so smarmy to me, like the seedy underbelly of politics.

Then I attended a fundraiser for Congresswoman Tubbs-Jones. When I introduced myself and handed her a check, she gave me a warm hug. She looked me in the eyes and said, "You have no idea what this means to me. Please thank your members for me." She was the first politician I met who understood that my checks weren't just something "Big Labor" coughed up, but real money given by working men and women. Compassion like this shouldn't be so unusual in Washington, but it is - and I found it extremely moving.

I met the Congresswoman several times after that, and she was on every occasion smart, kind, and genuine. My prayers go out to her family, to her constituents, and to all those who were lucky enough to have known her. She was an honorable woman, and she will be dearly missed.