IDAHO REP. MAXINE BELL

© Photo by Mary Branham

MAXINE BELL Idaho State Representative / House Appropriations Chair

Idaho Rep. Maxine Bell went from being a middle school librarian to the state legislature, then to chairing the House Appropriations Committee a few years later. She never believed she was good at math, “but you find out you just have to add zeroes.” Bell has learned a lot in her 12 terms in the House. Her most important lesson: “It’s never about the numbers. It’s about people and their lives,” she said. “Everything we do up there has an impact on the people we come home to and then have to explain ourselves to.” Bell, a 2006 CSG Toll Fellow, advises new legislators to listen to each other. “Don’t fall on your sword over one issue. Look for ways to work with others, and listen and learn. There is so much to be learned,” she said.