Profile in courage and more

It seems Speier’s life has been a series of good and bad karma. It was good when she landed a job as a young woman as in intern for U.S. Rep. Leo Ryan. It turned bad, when as a major player in his D.C. office, she went with him to Guyana to check out rumors of Jim Jones’ strange cult and abuses in that small South American country. When Ryan and others were shot and killed trying to fly back to the states, she was seriously injured but still survived. She lost her first election when she ran for Ryan’s congressional seat, eventually filled by republican Bill Royer of Redwood City who in turned was defeated by Democrat Tom Lantos. But even though she lost that first election Speier developed a cadre of devoted women and some men who would be with throughout all of her campaigns.

In 1979, she decided to run for the Board of Supervisors against 20-year incumbent James Fitzgerald. “A few new faces joined the team. When we were stuffing envelopes one night, a young man walked in wearing a suit, spoke with familiarity about campaigns, and had with him a check for a hundred dollars. The professional attire and enormous sum of money were so out of step with our grassroots atmosphere that we entertained the idea that he had been sent over by one of the other candidates to snoop around. His name — Brian Perkins, and he’s been a devoted part of the core crew for my every election since and currently serves as my district director. We will jokingly refer to him as “The Spy.”

Speier won the election. It was considered an upset and she was on her way. On the board, she and fellow supervisor Ed Bacciocco fell in love and became engaged. But it didn’t last and the book reveals why. She was an effective and popular supervisor so when she ran for Assembly and later for state Senate it was generally assumed she would win and she did.

She met Dr. Steve Sierra, the chief of staff and head of the Emergency Department at Chope Hospital (the county hospital), while serving on the board, fell in love and married. When Jackie was pregnant with their son Jackson, she was the first woman assemblywoman to give birth while in office. These were years of good karma. Then one day, Sierra was driving on San Mateo Drive and at the intersection of Poplar Avenue there is a slight drop and a car without brakes plowed into his and killed him. Then the bad karma really kicked in. Speier was a young widow, finally pregnant with their second child and Sierra had cashed in his life insurance just months earlier to pay for their dream house in Hillsborough. Speier not only had to deal with grief but the realities of how she and her two children were going to make it financially.

***

We know this is a story with a good ending. Speier managed to survive and eventually thrive. She met future husband, Barry Dennis, someone she loved and who would add stability to her life and the lives of her children. Despite a life of harrowing events, Speier has remained undaunted and a respected public servant. She was one of the most effective legislators while she was in Sacramento and she has already made her mark in Congress. This year, she will chair the subcommittee on military personnel and also serve on the important Intelligence Committee. We are fortunate to have someone with her grit, intelligence and heart as our representative. The book is also a great read.

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.